4 The Return of the Dark One
by Talonclawfange
Summary: Hyrule's been saved many times, but it's being threatened once again by strangely violent storms. Link is attacked by an assasin who tells him he must travel over the pirate-infested seas to find out who wants him dead. It's somebody he's met before!
1. The Return of the Dark One 1,2,3,4

buThe Return of the Dark One/u/b  
  
By: Sonnet A.K.A. Talonclawfange  
  
( E-mail me at Talonofdayyahoo.com, but not if you're going to give me sick advertisements! I DONT WANT THEM!! I'M ONLY 16! Just feedback, please.)  
  
Disclaimer: I do not own Hyrule, Link, Epona, Zelda, or anything else from Shigeru Miamoto and Nintendo's genius video game: Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. I wrote this story in dedication to them, since it's from the best video game of all time, created by them. Oh yeah, and Kai-ten-giri belongs to Akira Himekawa who wrote some totally awsome Zelda manga. The only things I own are the Soku Tree, Chain, Sohran, Calwots and all other things not in the original video game (so don't use em' without asking me and putting that I thought them up). I also wrote this because I like reading, drawing, and, recently, writing fantasy (all talents are given to me by God, so all credit goes to him as well). I think Link is really cool - Good job, Miyamoto!   
  
Note: bThis story is separated into two parts because it is so long! /b The first part is 40 pages long and the second is 43. This story takes place after my other stories, which are: The Problem of the Swamp Fairies, Duels and Dragons, Hunt for the Dragonlord, The War of the Kings, and The Song of the Siren's Shell, so you probably want to read them first or you'll be a little confused. It's somewhere between PG and PG-13, there's no sexual themes or foul language, but there's violence and blood. There's a bit of drinking, but only the bad guys do it and it clearly shows that alcohol makes you stupid, so it's not like I'm glorifying it, in fact I'm showing it SUCKS! Still, the alcohol will be removed by request if it bothers anyone. bEnjoy!/b  
  
biPart One/i/b  
  
ubSection 1  
  
The Soku Tree's Water/b/i  
  
Sighing peacefully, Link sat down against the huge side of the tree called the Elder Tree (the huge tree in the middle of Royal Field in North Hyrule). The soft grass under him was still cold and wet from dew, but he didn't care. He relaxed all his muscles as he waited for the sun to rise, but was careful not to get comfortable enough to fall asleep. While he waited, he remembered his conversation a week ago with the Deku Tree Sprout.  
  
"iWell, if Navi was just exploring the forest, she would have at least come back and checked up with me by now,"/i The stubby little tree had said. i"She's been gone for months. I don't know how to explain it; I'm sorry, Link."/i These words had worried Link greatly. What had happened to his fairy partner? He hadn't seen her since they went their seperate ways in the Temple of Time. iNavi....are you lost? I really wish I could talk to you, I miss you! /iHe hung his head, wishing that somehow she could hear his thoughts. After that meeting with the tree, Link had put the Master Sword into its pedestal and turned into a child again. He figured that sinse he had parted ways with Navi as a child, he might have more luck looking for her in that time. He had gotten Epona (still a foal) and travled deep into the lost woods looking for his fairy. He had experienced a strange thing there...he had gone on an adventure in Termania, a worl parallel to Hyrule. He had saved the land and gained a lot of masks (some quite poweful) but had not found Navi. When he went to get his sword back and become an adult again he also found out that no time had passed while he was in Termania and his masks could not be worn as an adult. Is was as if he had gained nothing in Hyrule. He was very happy at being able to help Termania but Navi remained missing.  
  
Link felt light on his face and looked up to see the beautiful sun slowly emerging from behind the hilly horizon. The cold, wet air of early morning and hazy, thin mist were dispelled by the rising sun's warmth. The formerly dark, starry sky began to brighten, turning various shades of yellow, pink and orange. So pretty...Link thought. Link didn't know why he loved to watch surises and sunsets so much. He supposed that for some reason he liked to pause and admire nature more than most people, and beauty comforted him when trials were tugging down his spirits. As the sun detatched from the horizon and flung its bright paint onto the clouds above, Link closed his eyes against the glare. iAs soon as possible, I'll search the Lost Woods for her. That's the only place I can think of that Navi would be right now, in this time or any other. Or maybe she's found a new companion and is traveling around far away. The Deku Tree said fairies only have one companion, but I suppose it's possible that they could have two.../isomehow Link doubted it. The logical side of his mind told him she could have found a new partner after leaving, but the other side said it just wasn't so. It just couldn't happen. She was in the forest, or exploring, or maybe....iMaybe she's trapped somewhere, in danger and needing my help..../iLink brushed away the pessimistic thought. He would not let it back into his head unless every other possibility was proved wrong, he resolved.   
  
Link waited for the sun to slip behind a low cloud before he could open his eyes. While his eyes were closed he slipped into deep thought about everything he knew about fairies. He had learned quite a lot from having one follow him around. Navi had usually been kind and helpful but familiarity breeds contention; like a time when they argued about....  
  
"Link, is it thee?" Link was startled out of his thoughts by a very near voice. It sounded like the voice of a man in his middle years, not young and not old. Link jumped up and looked around, wondering how he could have possibly let someone sneak up on him. "Do not be alarmed, look behind thee!" Perplexed, Link turned around and looked at the tree he had been sitting against and did a double-take. The formerly faceless tree somehow had a face! It was right in the middle of the trunk, like the Deku Tree's had been before he died, but this tree didn't look quite as old. Link stared up into the brownish-grey bark face.  
  
"Ah, it is thee, Hero of Time. I have been wanting to meet thee ever since the great Deku Tree told me of thee. Like the owl Kaepora Gaebora, I was a friend of the Deku Tree. I am the Soku Tree, it is a pleasure to meet thee!" Link had recovered from his initial shock; it was certainly not unusual for him to talk to trees, after all.  
  
"Nice to meet you too, great Soku Tree," Link said, with a slight bow. "Is there anything I can do for you?"  
  
"There is, Hero, but to understand I must first tell thee something. Dost thou remember the great storm that took place not long ago? That storm was not natural, it was induced by a great and evil power. The storm caused the clouds to release their moisture early, therefore there was too much water in the soil. I absorbed the usual amount but the rest dried up and now there is no natural storm to replace the ground's wetness. The grass around thee is not afected, for the morning dew is sufficient to keep it living. The dew is much too meager for a giant old tree like I, and my delicate balance of moisture is being disturbed. Will thou not bring me some water from the lake to repair my balance, Link?" Link thought a moment about what he had just been told. An induced storm? Who could have enough power to induce a storm so big? That strom's lightening had struck the castle several times, and the damage had taken a few days and many men's labor to fix. A Royal Dragon might possibly have the power to conjure a storm like that, but they obviously had a respect for nature's balance.   
  
"I would be glad to, Soku Tree. Anything for the friend of the great old Deku Tree..." Link trailed off, missing his huge mentor and parent. "How much do you need?"  
  
"Three hundred gallons would be sufficient." Link's jaw dropped.   
  
"Three hundred? How am I ever going to carry that over here?" He then remembered he had the golden gauntlets. Three hundred gallons would be extremely heavy, but Link knew the gauntlets could help him carry it. If he needed extra assistance, there was always Epona.   
  
"This should help thee," The Soku Tree said, and his upper branched rustled about. After a few moments, a large, water-tight basket made of interwoven Soku leaves floated down. "These leaves are able to bear three hundred gallons. Luck be with thee! I know a Hylian of your calibur can complete this task." Link nodded and got out the Ocarina of Time. He then played Epona's song and the magical notes echoed far, to the ears of Link's faithful horse. She came speeding to him imediately, and Link mounted her.  
  
"To the Lucky Lake in the Ethereal Forest, please!" Link said, patting Epona's side. With that, the horse sped off like a bullet to the lake, Link tagging along the giant basket of leaves while riding. In a matter of minutes, they arrived. Link had named the lake Lucky Lake because a while ago, Epona had been thrown by a huge dragon into the Ethereal Forest. She would have died if she hadn't luckily landed in the small lake. Link got off Epona and managed to fill the leaf basket with water. However, when he tried to lift it he found the thing was too big to carry with two hands, so he put part of it on Epona's back. "Okay... steady, girl! We have to get this back to the Soku Tree without spilling it." Epona seemed to understand, and kept pace with Link as he walked back onto Royal Field. At the slow rate they had to walk, it took about half an hour to get back to the tree. The Soku Tree saw them coming and loudly greeted Link. He didn't know Epona had never seen a giant talking tree with a face.  
  
"Ack, no, Epona!" With a loud snort of fear, Epona bucked and bolted away from the strange, loud tree. The water in the basket fell right on Link, soaking him. He sat on the ground, glaring irritably at his horse. The Soku couldn't help chuckling a bit. "Get over here, Epona..." Ashamed, but not too ashamed, Epona trotted over to Link and started nuzzling his head. "Oh, trying to butter me up, eh?" Epona then licked Link's hair, giving him a nice, big cow lick shaped like a tidal wave and knocking his hat off. The Soku Tree laughed out loud, and Epona neighed, bobbing her head up and down as if laughing. "Oh, stop it!" Link comlpained.  
  
After some hair fixing and another half an hour, Link and Epona returned with more water. Carefully, they dumped it all around the Soku Tree evenly. Link then sat down tiredly on the wet grass, and Epona sat next to him.  
  
"Thank thee, Link and Epona. Thou hast been of great assistance to me. I have something for thee, Link." Once again the tree's upper branches started rustling, but this time a small, beetle-sized leaf fell onto Link's lap. It was stiff and shiny, and had some intricate gold writing on it that Link could not read. "This belongs to my sister, the great Cosu Tree. She dwells in a place far away from here, across many waters. If you ever make her acquaintence, give it to her; she will surely be very grateful to thee and give thee something useful. I'm sorry I do not have anything better for thee."  
  
"That's all right. It wasn't much trouble anyway, right, Epona?" His horse snorted and shook her head.  
  
"I have nearly forgotten! I must reward thee too, noble Epona." The tree shook some branches and three, big, juicy apples fell to ground in front of Epona. They were only visible for several seconds before Epona eagerly gobbled them up. She nodded at the tree, as if to say 'thank you'.  
  
"Well Soku Tree, it's been nice meeting you, but I have to be on my way to the gorons soon. But before I leave, I have a question." Link said, getting to his feet.  
  
"What is thy question, Hero?" The tree inquired.  
  
"Do you know who made the induced storm? It could be a real problem if another one happened."  
  
"I am sorry, but I do not know who or what made that terrible storm."  
  
"Oh well, thanks anyways. I'll see you again sometime." Epona stood up and Link mounted her, then they rode away to Hyrule Castle to pick up Zelda and Impa.  
  
buSection 2  
  
Mud Pit/u/b  
  
Darunia smiled broadly as he watched the three riders dimount their horses at the bottom of the mountain. Link, Impa and Zelda then climbed up the mointain, destroying a few tektites (large, four-legged arachnid-looking creatures) on the way. In a couple minutes, they reached the entrance of the Goron Village and Darunia.  
  
"BROTHER! So good to see you!" Link braced himself as the herculean goron gave him a 'Goron Hug'.   
  
"Nice to see...you too!" Link gasped as the big creature squeezed the air out of him. He endured it for a few seconds until Darunia finally put him down. "Can't possibly go into village without one of your Goron Hugs..." Link said sarcastically, rubbing his squashed arms to get the blood moving again.  
  
"Well of COURSE not! Guess what, Brother? We've prepared a feast tonight in honor of you and the princess and her nanny visiting us! We haven't had one in such a long time, so we thought it would be a good idea."  
  
"That sounds great!" Link said, perking up now that he felt healthy again. Even though gorons ate only rocks, they were quite good at cooking Hylain food. Zelda, Impa and Link followed the big Boss of Gorons into the Goron Village.  
  
"You must have some more of my meat buns, Link!" A female goron shoved a plate full of steaming, delicious meatbuns in front of the Hylain. Though it was very tempting, he didn't take one.  
  
"No, I'm stuffed! They look delicious, but if I eat any more I'll explode...thank you anyway, mam." Smiling, the goron went to go offer some to Zelda and Impa, not knowing that they were also full. Link yawned contentedly and looked around to see how many gorons were finished eating. It was somewhat hard to see in the dusty, large, torch-lit goron cave, but Link could see a few were still eating. He admired the artwork of gorons dancing carved and painted into the dirt wall beside him while he waited for the feast to end. After a dozen more minutes, every goron and Hylian, as well as the Sheikah woman, had eaten his or her fill, and all the leftover food was put away. The loud chatting died down as Darunia stood up on a tall rock for everyone to see.  
  
"It had been a great pleasure to feed our guests tonight, who so graciously helped us with some remodeling of the village earlier today. Now it's time to party! Link, would you play some forest music for us, please?!" More than any other kind of music, gorons loved forest music. Darunia loved it most of all.  
  
"Sure!" Link said, getting out his ocarina and sitting on a big rock. Zelda had brought her harp, and sat next to him to help since he had taught her Saria's Song (a forest song taught to Link by his friend Kokiri and Sage, Saria). As the two started playing the fast-paced song, every goron jumped up and started dancing, not able to resist the fun beat of Saria's Song. Impa pitched in by whistling the song loudly, and Darunia went into a tantrum-resembling frenzy of wild dancing.  
  
"Ohhhhh yeaaaaaah! Hot, hot, hot!" The loud Goron Boss roared, jumping up and down and twisting in an unrestrained expression of his love for forest music. Soon the entire cave which made up Goron Village shook with the force of the heavy gorons jumping around and dancing. It was the most fun the Goron Tribe had had in a long time. The three music makers continued raising the pitch of the song and speeding it up, until Link could not hear himself think for the noise of dancing and music. The smell of goron sweat and dirt shaken loose slowly replaced the smell of food. As the gorons skipped and rolled in the torchlight and the music reached its maximum speed and volume, a deafening crash was heard and the cave was filled with blinding light.  
  
Startled, the gorons stopped dancing and the Hylians and Sheikah stopped playing. The light dissapeared instantly and the cave was dark again for a few seconds. Then another loud crash was heard, and light spilled into the village for a second from the entrance. It was lightening and thunder.  
  
"Quickly, gorons! We must roll our door rock into its place before our cave floods with rain!" Every goron started rolling up the many Goron Village paths up to the entrance, which was always open to the air and sky except when it rained. They all reached the top, followed by the slower Link, Zelda and Impa, and rolled a huge, circular rock into the gaping entrance to Goron Village. Lighting flashed angrily one last time before the big rock sealed the doorway. "That was close...we were so busy having fun we didn't even realize a storm was brewing!" Darunia kicked irritably at the mud under his feet created by the small amount of rain the had come in before the door was sealed. "I'm afraid you three will have to stay here tonight." Darunia said, turning apologetically to his three small guests. "Will your horses be alright?"  
  
"Epona probably led the two white horses to Kakariko Village by now. The villagers know the horses belong to us, so they'll be fine." Zelda said.  
  
"Well, we don't have any Hylain beds here...we gorons sleep on the ground! You'll have to sleep on some rugs I bought from Hyrule market, they're the softest things around here." The gorons put out all the torches to conserve oxygen, and, their fun ruined, everyone went to sleep. Link slept in Darunia's room on a soft rug, and the princess and Sheikah slept in a female Goron's room on their own soft rugs. It was cold, but eventually the whole village was sleeping.  
  
"Brother, wake up." Darunia shook Link gently, and the warrior roused, yawning.  
  
"Is it morning?" He asked, getting to his feet. Immediately he sensed it wasn't morning. Something was wrong.  
  
"No, Brother. We have problems. It's almost dawn, and the storm has been raging all night! I don't know how it's possible, but water is leaking from behind our door rock. I don't want to wake up the entire village to push the rock farther into its hole, so can you help me do it? I know you're very strong with your gauntlets, Brother." Link nodded and followed the Goron Boss up to the door rock. He was right, small sprays of water from behind the rock were shooting water about. As Link put his hands on the rock to push it in further, it budged backwards an inch and more water came spraying more violently from behind it. "Hurry, Brother!" Darunia said urgently, pushing on the rock. Link also pushed, and the rock slid forward, cutting off some of the water sprays. Thunder growled indignantly outside, and the force of a flood started pushing the rock back toward Darunia and Link. Water sprayed strongly from behind it, and the two Sworn Brothers pushed harder. Pressurized water hissed loudly as it resisted getting cut off by the rock. The noise and moisture started waking up sleeping gorons.   
  
"This is unbelievable! The Goron Village had never been truly threatened by a flood before!" Darunia shouted over the hissing. The more he and Link pushed on the rock, the stronger the water pressure became and the more water sprayed into the Goron Village. Desperately, Link and Darunia kept shoving the slippery rock, struggling with it for a few arduous minutes. By now, everyone had woken up and came sleepily over to watch Darunia and Link. The gorons, realizing the danger and coming fully awake, began to join Darunia and Link. The rock was forced back with the extra help, cutting off all but a few tiny streams of water. The inhabitants of the village heard the muffled thunder crash again, as if angry that water from its petulant storm was not getting in. The flood pushed on the rock with renewed force. The rock slid backwards on the muddy ground, forcing back Link and all the gorons! Water sprayed loudly forth again, it was a dangerous tug-of-war on which the fate of Goron Village rested.   
  
"We can't hold it!!" Link shouted, shoving the rock harder than ever; to no avail.   
  
"You're right, Brother! GORONS! GET TO THE SIDE OF THE ROCK, QUICKLY!" Darunia yelled over the storm and rushing water. The gorons, Darunia, Zelda and Impa quickly moved to the sides of the rock so that if it and a ton of water burst forth, it wouldn't hit them. Link held the rock until everyone was out of its path.   
  
"Link, get over here!" Impa yelled. Water was now violently gushing from behind the rock, but Link held on stubbornly.  
  
"The Goron Village will take months to repair if it floods!" He yelled, his boots slipping in the mud.  
  
"If you don't get out of the way, that rock will crush you! iMove it!/i" Link knew the Sheikah was right, but how could he possibly let the home of his great friends, the gorons, be destroyed? Impa jumped over to Link and grabbed him tightly by the waist, then sprang quickly out of the way as the door rock shot past, barely missing squashing her and Link. Water erupted explosively into the cave, ruining all the dirt passegeways and halls of the Groron Village that lay in its path. For nearly twenty minutes the cave was flooded, and everything was being slowly destroyed except the ledges on either side of the enctrance, on which stood all the gorons and their visitors. Soon the water flow lessened in intensity and the storm outside cleared up at a mysteriously fast rate. Silence reigned in the Goron Village, and the gorons stared down at their once beautiful cave, now nothing more than a mud pit.  
  
"I'm sorry, Darunia..." Link said, breaking the oppressive silence.  
  
"It wasn't your fault, Link..." Darunia said, staring sadly at the brown, wet, mess of a cave.  
  
"Link, listen to me next time," Impa said, looking sternly at the Hylian. "You could have been killed by that rock, then this disaster would have been twice as bad. Be grateful everyone is still alive." Link nodded and thanked her for saving him. "Well, King Hyrule will be worrying about his daughter now. We had better go before he sends a search party."   
  
"I'll stay here and help the gorons until tonight. I'll see you then." Link said, and Zelda and Impa left to go get their horses in Kakariko Village and return to the castle.  
  
buSection 3  
  
The Killer and the iAngel's Star/i/u/b  
  
That night, Link, Impa, Zelda, Chain and Daphnes Hyrule had a talk about the aggressive storm. The King had already been told what happened at the Goron Village, so Link told him the Soku Tree's suspicions of the storm being an artificial one. The King told Link that no damage had been done to the castle, that the entire strom had seemed to be centered on Death Mountain. They agreed that the violent storm had definately not been natural, but no one had any idea who could have done it. The most powerful magic user Link knew was the Queen of Dragons, Sahoriel. Of course, Feelock had also been very powerful and also Ganondorf, but Link didn't think either of them could have possibly done it. Next to them there was Zelda, Coflix, and Saroe, but chances of them causing the storm were virtually nonexistant. That night, everyone went to bed perplexed.   
  
As Link layed awake in his bed, listening to Chain's snoring, he once again searched his mind for a possibility of who could have caused the storm. The Three Godesses of the Triforce? Link didn't think so. Who would want to attack Hyrule Castle one week, and the gorons the next? It didn't make any sense. Slowly, weariness overtook Link, and he fell into deep, peaceful, sleep.  
  
A barely audiable rustle was heard in Link's room, and imediately the warrior was awake, griping the Master Sword's hilt. He was sure he had heard something, but as he quickly scanned the room, he found it empty of all but himself and the sleeping Chain. Perhaps the noise had come from his brother, but Link didn't think so. It had sounded like it was coming from the window or the door leading out to the balcony, but they were closed and locked the way they had been left. Perhaps it had been Link's imagination. He paused for a few seconds in the dark room, listening. Then Link laid back down, unable to shake his gut feeling of being watched. He stayed awake and alert for another twenty minutes in the dark silence of his room, and nothing moved.   
  
Just as his eyelids began to get heavy, his feeling of being watched and a feeling of another prescence flooded back into him with renewed force. He sat up, feeling, for the life of him, that there was another creature in his room...and an evil one. Link got up slowly, walking around and searching all of his room for an intruder. The door and window remained locked, and a glance outside told him nothing was there. There was also no one behind the dresser or under the beds. Link even looked out into the silent hallway. Nothing. No one. iWhy do I feel like this? I know someone is here, but there's no one... /iLink reluctantly returned to his bed. iAm I having a nightmare or something? This is rediculous! /iVexed, he laid down for the third time, eyes and ears open. After another dozen minutes he began to grow drowzy again. His eyes closed and he sighed tiredly. He heard the rustling sound again.  
  
Instantly, a black thing jumped out from behind Link's bed (an area he had searched at least twice). The large, man-shaped thing landed right on the surprised Link before he could move, putting a cold hand on his neck to silence any noise that might warn his brother. As Link brought up the Master Sword to defend himself, the black thing put a large, painful slash in his arm and he dropped the sword. The faceless thing then brought the gleaming dagger, already tipped with some blood, over its head; ready to deal a killing blow with it. Link's yell never made it past his throat as the black assasin brought the dagger down.  
  
Snorting as his sleep was disturbed, Chain yawned without opening his eyes. He heard some rustling in Link's bed, and, still half asleep, he partially opened his eyes and waited for them to focus. A large, black, man-shaped shadow monster was choking his brother and had a dagger poised over his face, only barely held off by both of the straining Hylain's hands. Chain closed his eyes numbly, still not realizing what was going on. Then it registered in his brain and he was imediately awake.  
  
"Link!" He shouted, jumping out of bed and launching himself at the beast. He grabbed the monter's waist and yanked on it, but was not strong enough to pull it off the weakening Link or even budge it from its spot. Link's left arm shook with the effort of holding the dagger off and his right hand pointed to the Master Sword, lying on the ground next to his bed. The hand returned to its job of holding off the dagger and Link's face twisted in pain as the dagger got closer, despite both his hands' strength. He knew he was going to pass out from the monster's tight grip. Chain quickly grabbed the Master Sword and swung the heavy thing into the black assasin monster. The thing made no scream as its skin sizzled from the sword's light power and it was thrown off Link, to the floor. Gasping, Link gratefully took his sword from Chain and performed a jump slash on the black monster. This time the monster screamed, being cut from its inhuman shoulder all the way down to its shadowy legs.  
  
"Who are you?!" Link demamded of the dying shadow beast.   
  
"If you want to know, you must be rocked consistantly by blue to the southwest for seven days and meet a piece of green land..." The monster whispered. With that, the creature dissolved into black nothingness, leaving as mysteriously as it had appeared. Link looked back at Chain, confusion written all over both their faces.  
  
"Thanks, Chain." Link said, shivering. He could still feel the cold of the shadow monster's body all over him.  
  
"Any time, Link." Chain said, walking to and putting a hand over the shoulders of his brother. "Are you okay?"  
  
"Yeah, I'm fine. I wonder what that creature meant..." Link memorized what the monster said, thinking maybe it was a riddle to lead him to whoever sent the assasin. Royal Guard soldiers burst into the dark room, too late for the action.  
  
"I think it was talking about the Great Sea," Zelda said, walking alongside Link. The two of the and the King were going to greet a dragon and a calwot. A soldier had informed them that the two creatures were sitting patiently by the north entrance to Hyrule Castle.   
  
"Yeah, that sounds about right. What do you think, Daphnes?" Link asked the King.  
  
"I agree with Zelda. The 'green land' may be a mossy rock or forested island in the sea somewhere; probably to the southwest like the monster said," The King suggested.  
  
"Wow, I never would have thought of that. Thanks, guys. I guess my only choice is to go to the ocean," Link said, thinking. "But what am I going to do if I don't have a boat?"  
  
"I have a boat which is big enough to sail the ocean but can be controlled by one or two men. It was built long ago just in case the Royal Family might need it, and is in one of Hyrule Castle's storage rooms. You can use that, Link." Daphnes said, smiling.  
  
"Thank you. Maybe if I ask very nicely a dragon will help me carry it to the ocean."  
  
"Perhaps." The three reached the north entrance to the castle and stepped outside, to meet the dragon and calwot. The dragon was a mountain dragon, about as big as four houses. He had smooth, shining green scales, and large off-white horns curved like a ram's. He had tough, yellow belly scales and iridescent blue wings. The calwot was a dark reddish-brown male with the familiar feathery black wings.  
  
"bGreetings, King Hyrule./b" The dragon said, and he and his companion bowed. "bI am Scal-zer, and this is Dhimun. We come to talk to you about the recent storms/b."  
  
"What is it you would say?" The King asked.  
  
"We have some information for you," Dhimun said, his bright green eyes on Daphnes. "Queen Saroe and King Coflix say that these past two storms were the work of a powerful magic user. The Queen also said that she smelled calwot magic and foul purpose in the targeted storms. The storms were obviously meant to harm one person. Who was at the castle a week ago and at the Goron Village the night before last?"  
  
"Me and Link and Impa were there..." Zelda said, wondering which one of them the storms were targeting.  
  
"bIt was most likely one of you, then/b." Scal-zer muttered. "bIt wasn't one of the calwots in Catalin or a dragon...does anyone have any idea who it could be/b?"  
  
"Feelock has not been seen since he exiled himself from Catalin," Dhimun said, "Maybe it was him?"  
  
"I thought he turned over a new leaf. Why would he do this?" Link pondered.  
  
"Wait, I remember Coflix said he could tell that the storm spell was not cast from within the Stalfos Swords. If it was Feelock, he must have left them for some reason." Dhimun said, crouching down and scratching behind his right ear with his back footpaw. Link told the calwot about the black monster he had encountered last night, and asked if that could have been done by calwot magic.  
  
"No, definately not. That kind of monster can only be created by black magic, and calwots have none of that," The cat said, still scratching. Link wondered if the storms and the assasin were linked at all. "Sorry, but that is all the information I have," Dhimun said quietly.  
  
"bAnd I, also. All Sahoriel and Cirokaal said was that the storms were not done by dragon magic./b" Scal-zer said, "bWe just came to tell what we could and offer any assistance you might need, as new additions to Hyrule./b" Link wondered just how many races were now a part of Hyrule. iThere's Hylians, Sheikah, Gerudos, zoras, gorons, dekus, Kokiris, fairies, swamp fairies, dragons, calwots, griffons and sea griffons../i.It seemed like Hyrule had expanded quite a lot through friendships in the last year or so.  
  
"Thank you for your information." King Hyrule said. "There are two ways you can help. Scal-zer, if you would be so kind, Link needs help with getting a boat over Ganon's Swamp to the Great Sea. Dhimun, the gorons need help rebuilding their village. Parhaps you could go over there and lend your paws along with the soldiers we already sent?"  
  
"Certainly." Dhimun said, standing.  
  
"bI will also aid the gorons after I have helped Link with his boat./b" Scal-zer offered.  
  
"That's very kind of you." Zelda said, "I'm sure they will need all the help they can get, even with the zoras and Hylian soldiers helping them." Dhimun bowed and bid the three Hylians and dragon farewell, then flew off in the direction of the Goron Village.   
  
"Link, I know you like doing everything yourself, but I want you to take at least on experienced Royal Guard member with you. Two heads are always better than one, you know." King Hyrule looked at Link seriously.  
  
"But Daphnes...I suspect these storms were targeting me! I could survive pretty well if the ship is destroyed in a violent storm, but another soldier might not." Link said, equally serious.  
  
"Nonsense. Sohran, the Secondary Captain of the Royal Guard, is going with you. You take far too many risks on you own."  
  
"I'm only concerned for his safety...I think I can handle this without dragging another man into it."  
  
"Link, you are truly the Hero of Time..." Daphnes looked at Link, admiring the way he was always concerned for others' safety before his own. "I think this kingdom might be doomed if anything happened to you. That is why I insist you have someone to watch over you on your journey." Link frowned, knowing this was a disagreement he was not going to win.  
  
"Alright..." Link said, sighing and hoping Sohran would not be harmed on the adventure. Link had learned about controlling ships and sailing, but he didn't think Sohran had any idea about it.  
  
"Can I go, father?" Zelda asked, knowing the answer.  
  
"No."  
  
"But I never get to go-"  
  
"No."  
  
"Please-"  
  
"No!"  
  
Link and Sohran waved as Scal-zer flew away, slowly dissappearing into the haze hanging over the shore. The small ship the King had given Link and Sohran was about thirty feet long and had two masts. It had square sales which were very good for fast sailing but small enough to be opened and closed by two men. In the middle of the deck, just behind the center mast, there was a one-room cabin with two beds. The deck had two levels, one smaller and higher level which the steering wheel was on, and a lower level that held the masts, cabin, a small boat, and the anchor. A month's worth of food and water for two men along with extra ropes and sails were stored belowdecks with a few other things. The figurehead of the sturdy ship, named iThe Angel's Star/i, was a singing angel.  
  
"Let's get going, Sohran." Link said, smiling over at him. The twenty-year-old, short blonde-haired warrior nodded. Sohran looked slightly different than the last time Link had seen him. Most of his hair was very short, but in the front it was grown out and a long piece partially covered one eye. Link thought it looked cool, but most older Hylians probably didn't. The two men climbed up the masts and loosed the sails. Sohran then took the steering wheel, guided to the southwest by Link and his compass. Wind was favorable, and the ship sped to the northeast. Link smiled as the relative wind blew back his bangs. He was very excited about going someplace new.   
  
"This is going to be a lot of fun, eh, Link?" Sohran asked, smiling as well. He had been wanting to get out of the castle for a long time.  
  
"I hope so. It would be a real bummer if a storm hit, but let's not talk about that. I don't want to jinx it, if you believe in that kind of thing," Link said.  
  
"Do you have any idea who we're looking for, on this 'green land'?" The short-haired Hylian asked.  
  
"Well, so far all the information I have is that the stroms were created by a calwot but the assasin was not," Link began, "Because of this, I doubt it could be Feelock, but the possibility can't be discarded. I don't know if the one we're looking for on the 'green land' is even linked with the storm at all. Hopefully we'll find out in a week; that's how long the shadow creature said we were to be on the ocean."  
  
"Well, that's strange. We don't even know who we're looking for? This will be interesting indeed." iThe Angel's Star/i made good time for the rest of the day. When nighttime aproached, Sohran slept for eight hours while Link kept the ship on course, then Link slep for eight hours while he steered. Link awoke next morning to a still boat.  
  
"Good morning! Well, sort of...the wind died down a few hours ago." Link sat up and yawned.   
  
"That's okay. The ocean is never windless for very long. We'll just have to wait until it starts up again." He said.  
  
"And be bored to death until then." Sohran said, sitting down on the deck.  
  
"Not necessarily," Link said with a smile. "I brought a couple of fishing poles. Even though we have plenty of food, maybe we can fish for fun to pass the time. You know, see who can catch the biggest fish."   
  
"That sounds like fun," Sohran said, grinning. Link went belowdecks and retrieved two fishing poles. He had bought them a while ago from the fisherman at Lake Hylia. He had payed an outrageous price of 750 rupees each, but he had plenty of money and didn't worry about it. Link baited them both and gave one to Sohran, and the two of them casted and sat down, waiting for a bite.  
  
"So, how are things going for you lately, Link?" Sohran asked after a while.  
  
"Other than the storms and black monster, fine. I met a new friend three days ago called the Soku Tree. He was pretty nice." Link said, stretching his legs out comfortably.  
  
"That's good. New friends are always great. I met a new troop of Hyrule Army soldiers two days ago. All were nice except this annoying guy named Fanod who acted like he was the king of the world..."  
  
"Well, there's always going to be people who are hard to get along with. I'm glad you're not one of them or this trip would be very unpleasant. I don't know you very well, but you seem to be a nice guy." Link said. Sohran was quiet for a moment, enjoying a brief gust of cool, sea wind on his face.  
  
"Thanks, you too. Hey, why don't we get to know eachother a little better? Tell about our past and such, you know." Sohran suggested.  
  
"Alright. You go first, then." Link said, looking over at him. Link noted that he was no longer wearing the Royal Armor he had worn yesterday and the day before. He wore a grey tunic, embroidered with a few silver triforces.  
  
"Okay...My dad is a retired soldier and my mom's a seamstress. I have one older sister who had a jewelery store and two younger brothers who aren't quite old enough to join the Royal Guard yet. I joined the Royal Guard when I was eleven, the earliest age you can join. Ever since then I've trained hard and lived in the barracks. That is until Ganon took over, then I lived in Kakariko until he was defeated. I got second place in the Warrior Contest for the first time when I was fifteen, and became second in command two years ago, after a successful campaign against some of Ganon's minions. I have a girlfriend named Jayes, who's nineteen and lives in Kakariko Village. I used to have a horse my father gave me, but he died right after I became second in command. That's pretty much it."  
  
"Sounds interesting." Link said thoughtfully. Sohran gave him a look that clearly stated he was more interested in Link's past. Though Link hated to talk about himself, he began. "Well, My mom and dad are dead, and I was raised as a Kokiri until I was eight. All the Kokiris were nice to me except Mido and his friends, but I forgive them. Shortly after my eighth birthday, Ganondorf cursed my adopted father, the great Deku Tree, and he died after giving me the Kokiri Emerald. That was when I met Navi, I don't know where she is now, and left to meet Princess Zelda."  
  
"Wow, you two go way back." Sohran said, listening interestedly.   
  
"I collected all the spiritual stones and got the Master Sword from the Temple of Time. The temple sealed me for seven years while Ganondorf stole the Triforce of Power and turned Hyrule into a world of monsters. After the temple released me, I met Sheik and Epona, freed the six sages, and along with them fought Ganondorf. As you know, he was sealed in the sacred realm. I moved into the castle and was Zelda's bodyguard until Impa returned and I found my brother, Chain. He's my only blood family now."  
  
"Wow, your life must have been very stressful...hey, do you mean to tell me you're really only eight years old?!"  
  
"Eh...well, sort of...I did mature in the Temple of Time, even though I wasn't awake..."  
  
"Whoa, the Hero of Time has only been in this world for eight years...incredible! You're really awesome to acomplish so much in eight years. I really admire you!"  
  
"Oh cut it out...you're embarassing me...I'm not that great!" Link said, his face getting red with the flood of compliments.  
  
"Stop being so modest! I can tell why the godesses chose you to be the Hero, man. Eight years old..." Sohran chuckled a bit. Link didn't know what to say, and luckily the akward silence was broken by a tug on his line.  
  
"Got one!" Link jumped up and tugged on his pole to secure the hook. He then reeled in his line.   
  
"I bet it's a big one..." Sohran said, standing up to watch. It was not very hard to reel in the fish, and as the line came up over the side of the ship, Link frowned. His fish was the size of a Deku Nut. Both men laughed at their own anticipation for the tiny creature, and Link quickly let it go and rebaited his line. The Hylians resumed their spots on the side of the cabin. In a few minutes the wind started to blow slightly. The men knew it would be a short time before it got strong enough to sail again. Then, Sohran's line got a tug.  
  
"Heheh, my turn," Sohran said, and gave a sharp yank to his pole to secure the hook. He then jumped up and started to reel in the line. At first it was easy, and both Hylians expected another puny fish. Then there was a very strong and sudden pull on the line, strong enough to pull Sohran to the railing of the ship and nearly make him drop the pole. He held on, tightening his grip on the pole, and reeled hard.  
  
"Need some help there, Sohran?" Link asked.   
  
"Naw, let me fight him. If he's big enough that I can't reel him in, he deserves to stay in the sea!" Sohran declared, reeling harder against the increasing resistance. The line got tighter and began to pull Sohran, and he had to hold on to the rail and reel in his line at the same time. "This one's going to be huge, but it won't get away!" Sohran grinned. Then the fish on the other end gave an unexpected yank of incredible strength. Sohran went sailing over the railing of the ship, belatedly letting go of the rod as he plunged into the sea.   
  
"Sohran!" Link ran to the rail and leaned over, trying to spot the man overboard. Sohran surfaced moments later, grimacing unhappily.  
  
"Drat, he was bigger than I thought, I guess." Sohran said, patting the side of his head to get water out of his pointy ears. Suddenly, a geyser of water erupted from the sea right next to Sohran, and a huge, great white shark surfaced, crushing the comparitivaly tiny fishing pole in its huge, gaping jaws. Link could have sworn he saw Sohran's eyes bulge to an unnatural size as the terrifyingly big shark clamped its teeth in an ugly grin, splinters flying everywhere. "Whaaaaaah!" Sohran screamed, swimming as fast as his arms could take him away from the shark. Angered by the tiny hook stabbing into its gums, the shark persued this tasty-looking new food source. Link quickly jumped overboard, onto the back of the shark.   
  
The shark took off, easily gliding through the water with its fins. It would already have reached the slower Sohran, if it didn't have an annoying Hylian clinging to it's dorsal fin. Link held on tightly, but could feel his fingers sliding off the slippery scales of the shark. iWhat can I do? If I release even one hand to grab my dagger, I'll definately fall off. If I just stay here, the shark will definately catch Sohran!/i At least Link didn't have to worry about putting his Zora Tunic on, because the shark's dorsal fin stayed above water while he persued Sohran, who was still swimming as fast as humanly possible. The Impatient shark clenched and unclenched its jaws in anticipation, its tough teeth clashing loudly each time. The snapping maw was getting closer and closer to Sohran. Link knew if the unfortunate Hylian was caught in those teeth, he would be swiftly crushed and torn apart like a limp doll. The shark's clashing teeth gave Link an idea.  
  
"You like biting, shark?!" Link chomped down on the shark's tender dorsal fin, biting it painfully hard. Link had never heard a shark yell before, but this one let out a beastly screetch. The frightened shark threw Link off, and cringing in pain from the caustic bite, it swam away. A cold wind blew over Link and he shivered. Shark fin tasted nasty. Breathing raggedly, Sohran stopped swimming and turned to Link, who was spitting out the salty, sour taste of shark fin.  
  
"Thank you." He said, swimming over to him. "That was really close." Link finished spitting and spoke.  
  
"You're welcome, but I hope I never have to bite a shark again!" The whole idea of biting a shark was pretty ludicrous, and, ignoring the cold wind that had suddenly sprung up, the both men burst out laughing. "Well, we had better get back to the ship..." Link and Sohran turned to look at their ship. It was sailing away.  
  
"Hey! Where do you think you're going? You can't leave without us!" Shouting callow pleas for the ship to slow down, Link took off swimming after it.   
  
"Wait for us, you stinking ship! Come baaack!" Sohran followed Link, both swimming as fast as their tired bodies would take them. They were gaining on the ship, but the ship was slowly gaining speed.   
  
"Stoooop!" Link yelled, practically flying through the water with Sohran right behind him.  
  
"It's speeding up, Link! We'll never catch it!" Sohran yelled, trying to swim faster.  
  
"It's alright! If we can just get it within range of my hookshot, we'll be fine!" Shoving their way through the cold, salty water, Link and Sohran got a little closer to the ship. "Hold on to me!" Link said, and Sohran held onto his waist firmly. Link took out the longshot and its chain sprang forth, barely reaching the ship. The hook stuck in the railing, and Sohran clung to Link as the two were yanked to the ship. Sohran climbed over the side, and helped Link up. They bent over for a minute, panting to catch their breath, grinning at eachother.  
  
"That...was fun!" Link said between breaths. Sohran nodded, and as soon as the two had recovered they checked the direction of the ship. To their amazement, the strong cold wind was blowing in exactly the right direction! The iAngel's Star/i practically flew over the waves, making great time. For a quarter of a day, the two companions chatted amiably as their ship carried them to the southwest. Link usually wasn't particularly talkative, but he found that Sohran was a nice and interesting person, so the two talked about a lot of things. By midafternoon, some dark-looking clouds were gathering overhead, and Link couldn't help feel a sense of foreboding. Link could tell the clouds were very small and unthreatening looking as they approached, but he recalled how the two very violent storms had sprung out of nowhere. The Angle's Star could withstand an ordinary storm, but if a storm of the same unbridled fury as the last two struck, they didn't stand a ghost of a chance.  
  
buSection 4  
  
Lightening and the Kaisokah/u/b  
  
Thunder rumbled lowly in the clouds, which were sprinkling rain over the ocean and the iAngle's Star/i. For nearly three hours, water had been lightly dripping from the heavens onto the world of water below. It seemed like a normal storm. Link and Sohran were sitting on deck, maintaining a straight course and enjoying the cool rain. They were not worried about the water-resistant deck. Though it made the deck more slippery and flammable, a substance had been put on it to keep moisture out of the wood.  
  
"Well, this is pleasant," Link said, turning his face to the skies. "I really like rain, when there isn't too much of it."  
  
"Me too." Sohran agreed, brushing his wet hair out of his face. Link stretched, it was about time for him to retire. "Well, I'd better go to bed, Sohran. See you in the morning." Just as Link stood up to go into the cabin, a white flash of lightening zapped the ocean, not half a mile away from the ship. Link turned slowly to Sohran. "That didn't look too safe. Since the wind isn't blowing consistantly southwest anymore, maybe we better throw down the anchor and stay in the cabin."  
  
"You're right. That lightening was awful close; it would be safer in the cabin," Sohran concurred. Link and Sohran walked to the side of the ship and hefted the large anchor, throwing it over the side. It sunk and stopped the motion of the ship, and the two companions went to lower the sails. Before they got more than a few feet, a large and frighteningly loud bolt of lightening struck 30 yards away from the starboard side of the ship, lighting the waves eerily for a split second with its extreme voltage. The rain and freezing wind picked up instantly, and Link's worst fear was confirmed. A large storm had sprung from a complacent one in a matter of seconds.  
  
"We have to get the sails down, quick! If those are ruined by the wind and lightening, we'll be stranded out here!" Link yelled over the fridged wind howling in his ears. Rain came down in sheets as Link and Sohran dashed to the smaller of the two masts. They quickly scaled the mesh connected to the crosspiece and climbed to the ends of the crosspiece. Together, they pulled up the sail and tied it in place. A lightening bolt suddenly struck the side of the ship, jolting the ship and causing both Link and Sohran to fall to the deck. The bolt also warmed up and instantly dried the point on the ship it hit, lighting a small fire. Link, a bit bruised but not really hurt, jumped up and tore his soaked hat off, running over to the fire and putting it out with the hat. Sohran, scrambling to keep his footing in the slippery water, ran to the center mast and began climbing the mesh. Another lightening bolt struck the steering wheel of the ship, igniting it instantly. Grumbling, Link ran over to the fair-sized fire, not exactly knowing how he was going to put it out since his hat, back on his head, was far too small. The bolt had not shaken the ship much, so Sohran had not fallen and was already pulling up a piece of sail; thinking: iMaybe, just maybe we can survive this storm if we get the sails up and grab the blankets from below to put fires out.../i  
  
But the fires were not the only problems of the iAngel's Star/i. The ocean had become very choppy, and a particularly huge wave crashed into the ship. It put out the fire on the wheel, but also swept Sohran and Link right off their feet. After being slammed into the railing rather hard, Link got up, looking around for Sohran. There was no sign of him.  
  
"Sohran!" Link yelled very loudly. He heard a faint reply and ran to the middle of the rocking ship. Leaning over the railing, he spotted Sohran hanging tightly onto a stray rope. Link swiftly hauled the weary Hylian back over the side of the ship. Then another big wave hit, coming from the opposite side of the first one. Yelling, both warriors were roughly shoved across the deck and into the opposite railing, the hard impact nearly breaking it. Link knew it was only a matter of time before the ship was either turned over by a big wave or set completely alight by a bolt of lightening. There might have been a chance of survival earlier, but it was gone now. Staggering to their feet, Link and Sohran tried vainly to get to the mast in the middle of the bucking ship. Unfortunately, a furious bolt of lightening zapped the mast at that moment, and the two partners heard wood cracking as the force of the bolt weakened the wood. It was a miracle the whole thing didn't go up in flames as the electricity zigzagged all the way down to the bottom and to the side of the mast, exploding into the corner of the cabin. Closing his eyes against the light of the sparks, Link missed the two-foot-long cabin splinter flying towards him.  
  
"Link, iwatch it/i!" Sohran slammed into Link, making both of them lose their footing. On the way down, Sohran flinched as the sharp shard of wood grazed his back, giving it a pianful laceration all the way across. Link got the breath knocked out of him from getting slammed to the ground with a 190-pound Hylian on his back, but knew why Sohran had done it. iSohran just saved my life! I saw that splinter too late and it would have gone right through me./i  
  
"Thanks, Sohran." Link said, quickly getting too his feet and helping Sohran up, taking special care not to be rough with his back. A violent wave slammed into the lower aft of the ship, hurling the two men forward and separating them. They got up as quickly as possible, though fatigue was starting to set in from the beating they and their vessel were taking. They tried one last futile time to get to the center mast as the sea, preturbed by their prescence, tossed the boat to the side. Link managed to grab the railing, but Sohran was slammed up against the center mast by the force of a large wave. The Hylains knew they were finished when a hot, explosive, jagged line of electricity slammed into the center mast a second time. The sail and mast were instantly flaming, and the base of the mast cracked and toppled in a shower of sparks. Link shielded his eyes from the heat of the blazing mast crashing into the cabin. Both were anihilated. iSohran's in that mess of flames!/i Link realized, the caustic thought driving him forward.   
  
Not seeing his friend on one side of the flaming pile of debris, Link sprinted over to the other side, slipping twice and getting singed by the flames licking at the dark, cloudy sky. Link reached the other side and found Sohran there, struggling to get out from under a colapsed, burning side of the cabin. Grabbing hold of his upper arms, Link pulled Sohran out, ignoring the heat of the fire, which, though diminished a bit by the rain, was still intense. He didn't even have time to think about putting on his flame-resistant tunic. During a few seconds where the ship was steady, Link pulled Sohran to the railing, away from the flames.  
  
"Sohran, are you okay?! Say something!" Groaning, Sohran tried to get to his feet and failed miserably.  
  
"Link, I can't feel my back but the rest of my body feels like it's being stabbed with knives..." Link noticed that there was a few pencil-sized splinters sticking out of Sohran's skin. Before he could do anything about it, two lightening bolts fell from the furious heavens. One lit up the sea behind the ship, and the other struck the right middle deck. The bolt was extremely powerful, and literally broke the ship in half. The two sides of the deck held onto eachother by mere planks, which would soon be destroyed. Link and Sohran's only option was to abandon the ship. Link frantically looked around for the small ship that had been on deck, and spotted its simmering remains amidst the flaming pile of wood in the middle of the broken ship. Link then looked in the sea and found a large floating piece of wood that was not on fire. As the ship began sinking into the water, Link picked up Sohran and jumped overboard. Link then began pulling himself and Sohran onto the floating, pathetic excuse for a raft as the last remains of the iAngel's Star/i dissapeared beneath the maliciously tossing waves. Link and Sohran were only about half way onto the raft when a final, cruel piece of electricity rained down, striking the water nearby. The waves lit up brilliantly, but Link's world tumbled into darkness as the searing volts tore trough his body.  
  
Hey there . thanks very much for reading. While I'm blabbing your ear off I want to mention a cool person who is my best reader and had a very cool story of thier own. Please check out StoryWeaver1's nice Zelda fanfic. Don't worry, it wont take forever to read like mine -.-' You'll like it, ITS COOL! Say, wondering what kaisokah means? You'll just have to read the next chapter :D bye now 


	2. The Return of the Dark One 5,6

iAm I dead? Everything is black and I can't feel anything or move. I must be dead, but this doesn't look like heaven.../i Link couldn't remember anything, and this was his first conscious thought as his damaged body tried to repair itself . The storm had quickly cleared up after murdering the iAngel's Star/i, and Link had been floating for hours, the top half of his body barely on the piece of wood raft far enough to keep him on it. Unconcious, the Hylian had drifted under overcast skies and through clinging mists as the extreme cold of the sea waged war with the warmth of his comparatively frail, human body. The mist hovering over the freezing but calm waters was beginning to lighten; the sun rising in some remote place that could not possibly penetrate the still fog. Link's ears were not really working properly, but subconsciously he thought he heard some creaking wood.  
  
"Whot's that over there, matey? Looks like some driftwood."  
  
"You imbecile, it can't possibly be. There aint a 'arbor for miles and miles! Plus, the currents of the sea don't push things this way."  
  
"I tell ye, I see it! Look, row this way." These strange, rough voices drifted on the foggy air, unheard by Link. "See? I told you, mate! Just look at that. A drowned sea rat floating on a plank!"  
  
"By Blackbeard's peg leg, you were right! Let's pull him aboard." Though almost completely numb, Link felt an increase of motion and knew something was happening. Unfortunately, every thought in his head was dulled by his his condition, and he still could not move or feel.  
  
"Dead as a stone...'halmost feel sorry for the lad. Looks like he froze overnight..."  
  
"Naw, he was struck by lightening. See the blood on his lips and in his ears? Electricity, matey. From the storm we saw behind us last night."  
  
"Ah, who cares? Let's get him back to the Captain. The sooner we do that, the sooner we can search 'im for booty!" One of the men in the small rowboat pulled out a whistle and blew on it. The high note was returned moments later by a lower one, and a huge, dark brown-wooded ship appeared, slowly materializing out of the mist. The figurehead of the full-sized ship, which was a beautiful mermaid, was contrasted greatly by the image on the flag flapping at the top of the center mast. It was a skull and crossbones. Painted on the side of the ship in gold letters, was the name iDark Predator/i.  
  
The small boat and its dirty owners were hauled up the side of the ship and pulled onboard. The two men unloaded themselves, along with the umoving, frozen-looking form of Link.  
  
"Good mornin' Captain, sir. Look at this here sea rat we pulled out of the water!"  
  
"By Silver's parrot, did you really?" A deep and cool, manly voice inquired. "I wonder where the dead whelp came from?" The men threw Link on the deck in front of their Captain none too gently, thinking he was dead. Link's ears were starting to get some blood moving normally in them, and he heard some faraway mumbling in place of silence. His formerly numb body felt a piece of the force from getting tossed on the ground. He tried to move again and failed, but his brain was beginning to think clearly again. A gasp arose from a slew of voices, followed by whispers. 'Did you see that?' 'The dead man's hand just moved...'  
  
"I can't believe it, me hearties! The kid's still alive! Don't just stand there, you twits! Warm him up so we can ask him where he's from and if there's lots of gold there." Link heard a rushing of booted feet, and realized for the first time that he wasn't dead. The remaining men whispered about Link under their breaths.  
  
"Look at those muscles, mate. He'd make a fine cabin boy."  
  
"Naw, we should chop 'im up and use him for sharkbait, says I! His boots are encrusted with ice, I'll be a skeleton's buzzard if he doesn't have frostbite. Nice boots, though." Link tried once again to move, and was surprised when he succeeded. The Hylian managed to get his hands under him, but was far to weak from the cold to lift himself. He felt a couple of hands pull him up into a sitting position. He also felt the hands pulling on his eyelashes for some reason.  
  
"That's it, lad...you can open your eyes now that the ice is off." 'aaawk! That's it, lad!' a scratchy, annoying voice repeated. Link was hearing perfectly now and found it was true. He opened his eyes and a blurry mass of colors slowly focused into a man, hunched over, looking at Link's face. He was wearing a red jacket with a frilled white shirt beneath, the ripples sticking out. His pants and boots were black, as was the short, pointy goatee and curled mustache growing on his face. He wore a large, dark hat with a white feather sticking out of it. Under that hat and seated on the wierd man's shoulder, was a brightly-colored bird with a large, curved, yellow beak. A bunch of strangely clad men were standing behind the man with the large, black hat, and more were emerging from a cabin to Link's left. Some had pointy ears like a Hylian...but there was something unHylianish about them. One put a warm blanket around Link. The warmth put feeling back into his body, letting him feel every inch of it fill with pain. He bore it like a man, not complaining.  
  
"Thank you..." Link said through lips that felt very cold. His breath misted on the air. By now Link had his memory back, and he knew he was on a very large ship. "Did you find any other men when you found me?" Some faint laughter played around the crowd of wierd, rough-looking men.   
  
"Maybe we did and we killed 'em!"  
  
"They're all drowned in the sea, whelp."  
  
"Be quiet, you scabberous weasels!" The man with the hat said. "Don't mind them, they're a fine bunch of hearties when you get to know them, lad. I be Captain Jordaan. What be your name, if ye can remember?"  
  
"Link," The Hylian said. He was very confused by the mens' strange clothes, and asked, "What...sort of people are you?"  
  
"Kaisokah, baka!" One particularly stange, slanty-eyed man growled. (if you didn't figure it out, kaisokah means pirate in Japanese)  
  
"Silence to yer foolish foreign speech, Koske!" Jordaan ordered. He seemed to be the leader of the odd bunch. "You really don't know what manner of people we be, lad?" Link shook his head. "We be called pirates, mate. We...er, we catch rich boats and ask for donations of money to give t' the poor. Sometimes the people on the boats need a little convincing, but they always donate. It's great work, mate. Would ye like to join us?" Link was hardly listening. He was wondering what had become of Sohran. No other men had been found... "Be ye joining us, lad?" The pirate irritably repeated his question.  
  
"I'm not going anywhere, it seems I have no choice. You sound like noble enough men. You're quite icertain/i there were no other people around when you found me?" A few of the men grinned, as if hiding something or enjoying Link's confusion. It was very preturbing, especially compared to the kindness the black-hatted man was showing him.  
  
"No mate, none. If there be other men out there, we've yet to find them. Sorry lad, but whoever you're looking for is probably dead." The irritating bird on Jordaan's shoulder said 'Aaawk! All dead, lad!' The words hit Link harder than the lightening had the night before. Sohran, dead? It couldn't be true! Yet, some part of him had worried about Sohran's safety from the very beginning, as if it knew something terrible was going to happen. Looking at the deck, Link didn't see the disgusted look on Jordaan's face. He was already tired of being nice to the little Hylian. Despite this, he continued talking in a soft tone. "Ye'd better forget about dead men, mate. Dwellen' too long on the past 'tis bad luck. Where ye be from?" Link couldn't just forget it. He could never forget Sohran. He couldn't believe he was gone.  
  
"Hyrule." Link said in a detatched voice. His body was warmed up now, and he got to his feet but remained staring at the deck. A confused look crossed Jordaan's face.  
  
"Hyrule? Never heard of that, hearty. Ye must have lost yer memory or something."  
  
"I know I'm from Hyrule. The last time I checked it was...." In Link's detatched state of thinking half about Sohran and half about his conversation, he was not being careful of what he was saying. Though these men appeared to be good people, Link still couldn't let himself completely trust them until he knew more about them. "You're right, I forgot where it is." A few pirates in the group growled in frustration.  
  
"Well, that's dissappointing, mate. Mayhap you'll remember soon. We be sailing to the southwest, so if ye remember a specific direction, we'll turn this here ship right 'round, and go to yer homeland and drop ye off."  
  
"For a small fee, heh heh..." One pirate whispered. Link didn't hear him but Captain Jordaan did, and shot him a warning glance. He turned back to Link.  
  
"Well mate, for a while I suppose yer going to be our new cabin boy. Welcome aboard the iDark Predator/i!" Link could have sword the grin on Jordaan's face was one of evil glee, and it gave him chills.  
  
Link sat in the hammock belowdecks, his eyes closed in deep thought. iSohran was a really cool guy, it's all my fault he's gone! Why didn't I be more stubborn when the King insisted he come with me? This is terrible.../iSorrow welled up inside Link, as he remembered Sohran's wild grin after the two had survived an encouter with the great white shark.   
  
"Wake up, cabin boy!" A pirate said, poking Link in the ribs. "We got our first ship of the night, and yer going to prove you mettle by helpin' us get their treasure!" Link jumped up, glad to have something to do that would get his mind off his lost friend. He had heard stories of people who had too much time to think and blamed themselves for losing people they cared about. Those sorrowful people could waste away if they got too caught up in their thoughts. Link followed the pirate up to the deck, and spotted a large, white ship close by. Both the iDark Predator/i and its query were gliding quickly through the water, but the pirate ship was catching up to the light one. Pirates were lined up on the railing of their ship, grappling hooks with ropes in their hands.  
  
"Get ready to jump to the other ship as soon as we catch it, Link!" Jordaan yelled, spotting the 'cabin boy'. 'Awwwk! Jump, Link!' Jordaan's bird said. Link picked up a grappling hook on the ground and began to swing it like the other pirates as the iDark Predator/i pulled up alongside the white ship. There were men with swords on the white ship, preparing for battle. iWhat's going on? This doesn't look like what the Captain described.../i  
  
"Board the ship, men!" Captain Jordaan shouted.  
  
"Aye-aye, Captain!" All the pirates and Link threw their hooks onto the masts of the other ship. Then they all swung across, everyone drawing a weapon but Link. Link realized he had been lied to. He watched in horror as his fellow pirates began slashing fighting with the men on the white ship. They were trying to conquer it! Link made a quick change of alliances, drawing the Master Sword.  
  
"Hhaaaaah!" The Hylian yelled, slashing a pirate who was about to kill one of the white ship's men. The man was very confused as he saw Link suddenly turn on his former companion. He said something wierd in another language, and helped Link knock the man out. Link wasn't moving fast enough. At this rate, people would die before he could save them, and he knew only one way to break up the fight quickly. Link pulled out a bomb and lit it.  
  
"Aaahhh! Cabin boy's got a bomb! Let's get out of here!" One pirate yelled at the top of his lungs. The pirates quickly found their ropes and swung back over to the iDark Predator/i, despite the angry yelling of Captain Jordaan. As soon as Link thought all the pirates were back on their ship, he threw the bomb into the ocean to extinguish it and shot an ice arrow at the iDark Predator's/i rudder. That way, the pirates could not follow as the white ship escaped. Unfortunately, one pirate remained on the white ship, behind Link, yelling 'baka' over and over again.   
  
The slanty-eyed pirate slashed Link's back with his sword then hit him on the back of the head with its hilt, stunning him. The strange pirate then escaped back to his own ship, taking Link with him, while the white one sailed away, much too fast for the pirates to follow. Link knew he was in trouble now. Recovering from the blow to his head, he punched the pirate holding him and drew his sword again, turning towards Jordaan.  
  
"You lied to me...you didn't say your bunch were murderers! I don't want to be a pirate anymore!" Jordaan glared at him menacingly. His voice was low and dangerous.  
  
"Ye be sure about that, boy...? If ye resist us, you'll be thrown in a cell and not fed until we hit land again, which, I can tell ye, will be a few days. Be wise and join us. We could use your strength, boy. Ye got fire. Besides, you'll be rich beyond yer wildest imaginings before ye can count fifteen dead men. Don't be stupid!"  
  
"Here's what I think of your group!" Link yelled, rushing at the Captain. He heard someone yell, 'Shinay, baka Link!' and he was thrown to the ground as a very sharp sword put a second huge, deep laceration down his back. Other pirates ran forward and tied his hands behind his back, and Link felt himself being stripped of all his weapons and valuables. As a pirate tried to take the last thing, the Master Sword, off Link, the sword zapped him, burning his hands.  
  
"Yoooow! He's a devil, Captain! That's a devil's blade!" The pirate screamed, blowing on his blackened palms.  
  
"Then take it off 'im with a grappling hook and put it belowdecks, you sea dog!" Jordaan growled irritably. It was done, and the pirates lifted Link up before their Captain, who looked him over with a grin. "Ye should 'ave joined us, Link. Now you'll be locked in a cage 'till we find a place te sell ye for the highest price. Beat him and throw him in the cell." Jordaan said coldly, turning away. 'Awwwk! Beat him!' came the echo from the bird. Gleefully, the pirates did just that.   
  
ubSection 5  
  
Drowning Hope/b/u  
  
The pirates had done their job well. Link could hardly move without some part of his body flaring with pain. His entire form was bleeding from numerous slashes and bruises, especially his stomach. Pirates seemed to like punching people in the gut. Groaning, Link laid his head back on the cold wood wall. How had he let this happen? Ever since he had left the cliffs of Ganon's Swamp, nothing had gone right. First the shark, then the terrible storm, and finally being rescued by murderous robbers. Link didn't mean to think about Sohran, but the thought strolled right into Link's mind, uninvited. Rather than banishing it, he dwelt on it. iSohran, I'm so sorry I let the waves swallow you.../iLink had finally accepted the devistating fact that his companion was dead. He was sadder than he had been in a long, long, time; but tears did not come to the warrior's eyes. Instead, a hole grew in his heart, and it made him feel sick. Sick of pirates and death. Sick of the fact he would never see Sohran again. Sick that the virtuous man's body was probably rotting at the bottom of the ocean. Sick of feeling pain all over his body and being behind bars. Sick of looking for the one who had sent the shadow assassin.  
  
iI don't think I'll ever find him now...or the one who's making the storms. I don't suppose I'll live another week with these pirates. I'm surprised they didn't cut my throat the moment they saw me. That Jordaan was quite a good actor./i Link had been working on the ropes on his hands since he had been thrown into the cell a few hours ago. They had been making his hands numb from the very start, but now his wrists were bleeding profusely from trying to get them off. Luckily, they had finally begun to loosen a while ago. After a few more minutes of struggling, they fell off and Link rubbed his bloody wrists to stimulate healing. Even his pathetic little Arlia plant had been taken from him, so he couldn't use that to heal himself. The only thing he had now was his tunic, minus the boots. Now that Link's hands were free, he stood up (very painfully, for he could hardly stand to walk in his condidtion) and started checking he cell for weaknesses. The cell was composed of Iron bars evenly spaced about four inches apart. They came from the floor and went all the way up to the ceiling, forming a seven by eight squarish cage. The door was made of the same iron, fastened securely by large hinges and a big lock. Though it was a relatively clean cell, there was no way Link was going to stay in there a moment longer than he had to. Already he had a plan to get off the ship if he found a weakness in his cell. He would simply sneak out at night when his guard and everyone else was sleeping, and take the small boat. Of course, he would have to wait until the ship was close to land or he would just die on the ocean. Link acidentally made a clang on a bar as he was checking its strength, and his half-intoxicated guard awoke.  
  
"So, you got out of your ropes, eh? Well, who cares. The Captain said you would, anyway. Besides, there's no way out of that cell, even with both of your hands free, you little sea dog. Speakin' of water and such, I guess it's time to give you some. If it were up to me I'd just let you dehydrate, but if you're going to be worth anything as a slave, we can't have you gettin' too sickly, can we, now?" The stinky, unshaven pirate grabbed a glass of water that had been sitting next to him and drew his sword, walking up to Link's cell. "I know ye be a tricky one, but if ye try anything, I'll cut your arm clean off, get it?" Link sat down, glaring at the pirate. He could easily do something nasty to him, but it wasn't time to make a move yet. The pirate set the glass down just inside the cell, then backed off and resumed his place on the coil of rope, glaring back at Link. "So, ye think ye can find a weakness in that cage while I'm sleeping, eh? Heheh, don't look so surprised! Yes, I'm on to you. And now I won't let my eyes off you." The pirate was now wide awake, so it didn't look like Link would get another chance to check his cell in a while. Instead, he relaxed his beat-up body and rested against the wall.   
  
Link awoke to rough hands picking him up and shoving his head against the wall. Link didn't make a noise as the hands tied up his hands, reopening a few of the wounds that had formed from the ropes that had been on his hands before. Link was then marched out of his cell, up to the deck. It had been two days since Link had been imprisoned. He was extremely hungry from getting nothing but water, but wouldn't show it in front of his captors. Link had heard the pirates talking about how to handle slaves before, and knew he would be let onto the deck every other day so he wouldn't lose all his strength. Link already felt a lot weaker because his wounds were not healed and he hadn't eaten anything for at least sixty hours, but the pirates did want to weaken him enough that he wouldn't put up a fight.  
  
Sunlight felt incredibly sweet as Link stepped up on the deck. A few crew members standing around eyes him murderously, as if eager to use him for a punching bag again. Fortunately for him, that wasn't what he was brought out of his cell for. As the pirate with a sword to his back made him walk around, Link searched the sea for any sign of land. As soon as they neared land, Link could make his escape if he wasn't completely emaciated by then. He hadn't found a weakness in his cage, however he could easily knock out his guard when he gave him water. The only problem with that was that Link didn't know if all his guards held the key to his cell. He had seen a keyring on one of his first guards, but there hadn't been a sign of a key on any other ones. Still, if that didn't work, he could escape the next time he was let out to exercise. Link began to jog a little, serious about keeping his muscles strong. The pirate behind him got a little irritated.  
  
"Hey, slow down there, ye little guppy! Yer not supposed to be able to run after the beating we gave you a while ago!" Link ignored him for a few minutes, but when the man got tired and started pressing his sword against Link's back, the Hylian slowed to a walk.  
  
"A little out of shape there, Mr. Pirate?" Link asked with mocking playfullness. The pirate was not in the mood to play, and angrilly gave Link a small slash on the back of his arm. With diffuculty, Link restrained himself from doing anything like kicking the pirate's butt. After about an hour, the pirate returned, with Link, to the hatch that led belowdecks. Captain Jordaan was standing by it, and Link almost couldn't resist kicking him. Instead, he smiled at him. "Nice day, isn't it?" Jordaan grimaced.   
  
"Does nothing lower your spirits, boy?" He looked at his subordinate, the one guarding Link. "How healthy is he?" The question sounded like a pet owner asking the vet if their pet was in good shape.  
  
"The blaggard can run faster than me!" The dirty man rumbled, giving Link a poke. Jordaan glared at Link.  
  
"The little brat...I know what will tire him out or at least make him rot a bit. Take 'im down there and tie him completely up." Link did not like that idea at all.  
  
"Hey! You know, you won't get away with this, Jordaan! You won't be very happy when I get out of here."  
  
"Change of plans. Let me take him down, matey." Jordaan said with a petulant grin. 'Awwwk! Take him down!' The Captain's buzzard croaked.  
  
"Aye-aye, Captain!" The pirate left as Jordaan drew his sword and made Link go back down to his cell. He hit Link in the gut hard enough to force him to recover for a few moments, and began gathering some ropes.  
  
"iWhen/i ye get out, boy?" The Captain said, renewing the conversation. "Hah! Just who do ye think ye are, the Hero of Time?" Link was caught off-guard by the question from a man who supposedly had never heard of Hyrule. Did Link ithink/i he was the Hero of Time? The Hylian started laughing. "Shut up, ye insane fool!" Jordaan yelled, punching Link's stomach again, hard. This shut him up quick, leaving him gasping. "Did ye think I really have never heard of Hyrule? I know exactly where it is, and I know that you know where it is. I aint tellin' my crew about it, though. Hyrule's a rich country. It would be a good one to raid, but I made an agreement with a man called Ganondorf to leave it to him a few years ago. The crew wouldn't understand, of course. They'd try to go right through the deadly swamp and slew of sea griffons into Hyrule to get murdered by Ganondorf." Link thought it was hilarious. Not the part about the pirates getting murdered, but the fact that this pirate was staying away from Hyrule because of a promise made to someone who wasn't even in Hyrule anymore, plus it was very ironic that he asked Link if he thought he was the Hero of Time. He wouldn't have been able to keep from laughing if he wasn't so out of breath. Jordaan then proceeded to tie Link up at swordpoint. Link really didn't like it, but had faith that another chance to escape would come in a couple days. He just hoped he was strong enough to take it at that time.  
  
Link yelled in pain as Captain Jordaan kneed the pit of his stomach very hard. Link thought that all the hits he was taking there might rearrange his organs. He actually spit some blood as the Captain threw him into his cell. Link would have said something nasty, but was too busy trying to get his breath back.  
  
"I hope ye rot, little Hylian! Just like the Hero of Time I'm sure you've heard of will rot when Ganondorf gets his hands on him, if it hasn't happened already!" Jordaan left, leaving Link to struggle with the tight ropes digging into his skin all over. Minutes later, a guard came to watch the process of his weakening.   
  
Link faded in and out of consciousness. He had long ago learned to ignore his stomach, that every once in a while pierced him with pain. He knew he would starve to death if this continued. The ropes didn't help, which he had still not gotten out of, even after two days. Instead, he had ony suceeded in making himself bleed more every time he moved. His thoughts wearily drifted from one thing to another, sometimes thinking of Zelda and Hyrule and wondering if he would ever see them again; other times the pirates and shadow assasins; other times of his lost friend. His hope was slowly slipping away. It hadn't occured to the warrior that he would ever lose his enthusiasm. He had thought that no matter what happened, he would find a way around or out of it. No matter what happened, he would survive to protect his country like he had sworn to Zelda. What had happened? He had failed to protect Sohran, and was now drifting on his way to becoming a slave or dying by pirates who had decieved him. His stomach growled hungrily.  
  
iOh, shut up. I'm as hungry as you are./i Link told his stomach irritably. He was brought to his senses out of his half-sleep by someone coming down the stairs that led belowdecks. He opened his eyes and flinched from the ropes digging into him as he twisted to see who it was. It was the domineering Captain Jordaan, with his big, elegantly plumed black hat and exotic bird. He unlocked and entered Link's cell without a word to the sleeping guard, and began untying him.  
  
"We'll see if you can run faster than a pirate now, boy." Jordaan said with a satisfactory snicker. He grinned at Link's flinching as he pulled the ropes out of the little bloody grooves they had made in the Hylian's skin. "On your feet, rat." Jordaan ordered. Link weakly managed to roll to his knees and stagger to his feet, shaking slightly from his stiff muscles. He was in worse shape than he had been in along time. He knew he had to make his move today, now. In another two days, he might be dead or too weak to run. Jordaan prodded Link up the stairs. There was no sunlight this time, the skies were completely overcast, and it was late nighttime. As Link stumbled around ahead of the Captain's sword, he tiredly looked around for land. To his surprise and joy, there was an island nearby! Its black outline was clear between the grey clouds and dark blue sea. iTime to escape!/i Link thought, and the thought alone gave him more energy. Link swiftly turned on Jordaan and kicked the alarmed Captain's sword out of his hand. His exotic bird flew away, sqwacking, frightened by the blade flying right by it. Link turned around as the flipping blade fell, and it cut right through the ropes on Link's hands. Link ran for the small boat on deck.  
  
"Bloody boy! He's more trouble than he's worth, but extremely resiliant....catch him! He's going to be worth a bundle on the slave market!" Instantly, all the pirates were rushing for Link. The warrior's wounds burned, but with his adrenaline pumping, Link ignored the pain. He kicked the first pirate to reach him in the face and took his sword as he fell. iSword! I almost forgot about my gear! How am I ever going to get the Master Sword back?! /iThe question made Link pause momentarily, and at least twenty pirates advanced on him. Link couldn't do much with the small curved, sword, but it was enough to fight off the rabble of pirates. Parrying five mens' swords, Link cut them across the chest, making them fall to the deck in pain. Link then put medium-sized lacerations in two other pirates' legs, and they went down as well. Link was about to cut down the rest when Jordaan joined the melee. Link hadn't expected him to join, and quickly brought up his sword as Jordaan brought his down. Jordaan's sword was much bigger and tougher than those of his men, and the two blades made a clang and sparks as they connected. Link was strong. Very strong. However, the last few days had sapped most of his strength, and Jordaan overpowered him and gave him a big slash on his chest. Link was thrown to the deck, slashing at Jordaan randomly as he went down. Jordaan didn't see the blade and it made a huge slash in the Captain's wrist, cutting into the artery.  
  
"Aaahhhh!" Jordaan screamed, holding his wrist. Everyone went silent for a few moments, then someone spoke.  
  
"Captain! Quickly, we have some 'magic' stuff that can help heal cut arteries that we stole from another ship, sir, belowdecks." Holding his gushing wrist, the Captain followed his subordinate to the hatch. Link tried to get up, but found he was too weak to do so. His new wound along with all his old ones plus four and a half days of starvation kept the warrior down.  
  
"Ye know what happens to people who injure the Cap'n, don't ye, welp?" One pirate walked over to Link. Link screamed as the pirate stomped on his chest. "Someone go get the chain and ball," He said to his companions. Turning to Link, he said, "Ye be a very lucky boy. Ye won't become a slave, iand/i ye will meet Davy Jones! Isn't that great?" After a few moments of agony from the pressing foot on his bleeding chest, Link saw a pirate coming toward him will a big, heavy ball and a chain with a shackle. He knew what was going on.  
  
"Stop movin', kid! This won't hurt at all, promise!" The pirates laughed as they restrained the violently struggling Link. iThere's no way out of this one!/i Link thought, all his common sense telling him he would be dead in a few minutes. Still, he did not quit struggling. After kicking a few pirates, Link was finally held down, and the shackle was locked on his foot. The pirates bagan dragging him to the railing. He made it extremely difficult for them, but the ship-dwelling men had enough strength to haul Link to the edge of the ship.  
  
"See ye, boy!"  
  
"Have a nice swim, heh heh!"   
  
"I always knew ye would make a fine piece of fishbait, ye seadog!"  
  
"Seyonara!" Link heard these jeering good-byes and many others as the pirates tossed him over the edge. Link could do nothing but suck in a big breath as he plunged into the cold seawater. As the heavy ball dragged him down, Link tried to pull the shackle off, but even without his boots it was too tight to remove. There was no help for Link now, he was going to drown and he knew it. The dark realization penatrated his skin, making him feel like he was freezing. What he wouldn't do for his gear! Yet, some part of him still could not simply give up, and he kept pulling at the shackle. All of his cuts felt as if they were on fire because of the salt water. It was excruciating, but Link couldn't think about that. He kept sinking deeper for a minute, and began to feel the water pressure. While in his Zora's Tunic, Link could both resist extreme water pressure and breathe underwater, but now he could do neither, and the pressure began to build. The ball dragged him relantlessly deeper, and time seemed to slow as the water became darker and pressure more unbearable. Link could hardly hold his breath, the water was squeezing his lungs.   
  
iWhat can I do? I hate to admit it, I didn't think it was possible...that this could be the end of my road./i Link's thinking fogged as the water constricted his body. The water was a very dark blue by the time he hit the ocean floor, after another minute of sinking. But, Link couldn't tell if the water was dark or not because the pressure turned his sight red. It was all he could do to keep his burning lungs to retain the small amount of oxygen they had. Soon, even that became impossible. The water crushed all the remainig air out of Link, and he could hear a faint and faraway stirring of saltwater as he choked on the sea and Davy Jones stole his consciousness.  
  
"Impa!" Zelda, extremely upset, clung to her Sheikah caretaker. "I just had the most horrible dream!" Impa patted her comfortingly.  
  
"There, there. It was only a nightmare. What could possibly cause you to come to me in the middle of the night like this?"  
  
"Link is dead!" Zelda yelled. Impa started in amazement.  
  
"Zelda! What are you talking about?!"   
  
"I saw him...saw him sink to the bottom of the ocean and drown!" Zelda yelled, near tears.  
  
"Calm down, princess..." Impa said gently, calming down herself. "It was nothing but a dream. I'm sure Link is fine." Zelda didn't seem so convinced. She was shaken by a dry sob. Impa embraced her, and soon the princess managed to compose herself again.  
  
"I'm sorry, Impa...I'm acting like a child...but it was so real! Like a vision!"  
  
"Well, perhaps you misinterpreted it, dear. Visions never show the whole truth, do they?" Impa asked softly.  
  
"I suppose they aren't usually literal...but Impa, I felt the breath go out of his body..." Zelda said, shaking. "I'm sorry...I'm too old to be acting this way. I need to go back to bed," Zelda said. She was suddenly very weary.  
  
"That's it, princess. You'll be fine after some real rest. Don't worry about Link. He can take care of himself."  
  
"Alright..." Zelda, shaken by her terrible dream, marched stiffly back to bed.  
  
ubSection 6  
  
The Surprise and the Beauties of the Sea/b/u  
  
Remorie the water dragon flung Link down on the sandy beach. She knew there wasn't much hope for him, but began pushing on his chest to get the water out. After a few moments she became desperate, and had no choice but to whack his lower chest with her strong, flat tail. Miraculously, he sat up, coughing out tons of salt water. Remorie watched the warrior, who was bleeding all over, as his body was racked with deep coughs. When he was finished getting rid of the water in his lungs, Link colapsed on the beach, completely exhausted. He had escaped death once again. Brought back to life by the unlikeliest creature ever.   
  
Remorie watched the fatigued Hylian catch his breath, not wanting to interrupt his gasping with conversation. She remembered their fight earlier in the month. Back then, she had been a devious servant of an evil siren called Kadien, but since then she had changed her ways. She was on her way back to her clan of water dragons and hoped to do good in the ocean to make up for her foul deeds. The last person she had expected to find on the way back to her clan was Link. Link tried to get up after he had caught his breath, but found that he was too weak. Instead, he twisted a bit until he could see the dragon who had destroyed his shackle and pulled him up from the depths of the sea.  
  
"Thanks, Remorie," Link said, breathing raggedly. "Why did you-"  
  
"Shhhh. Let me heal you before you hurt yourself." Link didn't know that water dragons were better at healing spells than all but the King and Queen of dragons, but he soon found out as Remorie slithered up to him and worked her spell. Instantly all his searing pain and feeling of being squashed was gone. He didn't feel weak from being stiff anymore, and the only pain he now felt was that of being half-starved. He sat up and looked into Remorie's bright orange eyes. This was the dragon he had been nearly killed by weeks ago. After quite a struggle, Link had managed to freeze her with her own breath. Why would this dragon he had defeated aid him? And what was she doing all the way out here? Before he could ask her, his stomach rumbled loudly and he held it as pain from his empty stomach tore through him.  
  
"Before we talk, I have to get some food for you, I see." Remorie bounded off to the waves, her body looking like a greyish-blue wave itself as she half ran, half slithering on her small, webbed legs. She dissappeared under the water like quicksilver, leaving Link to wonder. He desperately hoped this was not another deception. He was sick and tired of being tricked. Remorie had looked sincere, though, and it warmed Link's heart that she had turned good. He loved it when old enemies became friends rather that getting bitter.   
  
Mere moments later, Remorie emerged from the ocean, bearing three, fat, football-sized fish. She used a small and unpowerful but useful flare spell to quickly cook them. She then stripped them of everything but their bones and meat and gave them to Link.  
  
"Don't eat too fast now, or you'll get a major stomach ache." Remorie watched the Hylain pathetically try to follow her instructions as he consumed the delicious fish. "Wow, you look pale. It must've been days since you last ate." Link nodded.  
  
"Thanks very much for helping me, Remorie. And thanks for this," Link said, holding up the fish, "It's delicious." A flattered smile came over the young, female water dragon's face.  
  
"You're welcome. What the heck are you doing all the way out here? I thought you were back in Hyrule! I never expected in a million years to find you here, especially chained to a metal ball from getting thrown off a pirate ship!"  
  
"Heh heh, yeah, I bet I'm the last one you expected to see. I'm out here looking for someone, and I got rescued then imprisoned by those pirates. By the way, you didn't happen to see another Hylian in the ocean, did you...?"  
  
"No, sorry. My clan is swimming this way, though. I'll ask them if they've seen a Hylian when I catch up with them. However, I don't know if they would take kindly to a Hylian if they saw one. They like to eat humans, you see. Especially young pirates." Link experienced a familiar sinking feeling that he got whenever he thought about Sohran. Was his newly found friend really gone forever?  
  
"So, that's what you're doing out here, following your clan?" Link asked between bites of juicy, warm fish.  
  
"Yes. It took about a week for the ice around me to melt. As soon as it did, I knew I was fed up with being evil. I decided that since I couldn't live on land and help the Hylians, I would stay in the sea and do good for all the creatures I meet. Between good deeds, I will follow my clan until I catch up with them. Imagine my surprise at finding you out here, at the bottom of the sea, mostly drowned? I'm glad I was able to help you. By the way, thanks for defeating me and helping me make my decision to be good." Link smiled happily.  
  
"I'm so grateful, Remorie. Finally something good has happened to me! I was beginning to think fate hated my guts." Remorie laughed.   
  
"No, not yours, Hero of Time. I don't think it was merely chance that I happened to be swimming by when you hit the ocean floor. Well, what are you going to do now? I have to get going if you have no further need of my help."  
  
"I might need a ride out of here in a few days or so." Link said.  
  
"Well, I myself am not big enough to bear you across the sea, but some water dragon-leviathan crossbreeds in my clan are more than big enough, and can probably get you back to Hyrule in a day or two. As soon as I catch up with my clan, I will try to convince them to help you."  
  
"Really? You're great, Remorie." Link said. The dragon blushed.  
  
"No I'm not, it's what friends do for eachother, right? I would be honored if I could be your friend, Link."  
  
"No problem there! I love new friends. You know, I'm so happy I could hug you!" The Hylian declared. Remorie, overcome with emotion, bounded up to Link and hugged him. Tears streamed from her large, puppyish eyes, and she had a rather silly-looking grateful expression on her scaled face.   
  
"This is just the kind of thing I've been yearning for my whole life! I was never meant to be evil, and you helped me realize that! Thank you so much!" She was being very corney.  
  
"No problem...." Link said simply, happy for the dragon but not knowing why she was being so dramatic. Remorie pulled herself off Link, and began running gracefully toward the sea.   
  
"Farewell, Hero of Time! I shall help all the poor creatures I find on your behalf and make all the sea creatures as happy as me!" Just then, she slipped in the wet sand and fell face-first into the water. Knocked out of her spell of cornyness, she got to her feet, rubbing the back of her head. "Bye, Link. I'll be back!" With that, she was gone.  
  
Link looked around at the the island he was on, and began thinking. iThis heavily vegetated island is probably the 'green land' the shadow monster had spoken of. After all, it's only been just over seven days since I left Hyrule and I've been traveling to the southwest the whole time. So, I think the one who sent him must be on this island. I don't know where the pirate ship went, but I imagine they'll be resting here a few days, so I have to find them and get my sword back...but what if they don't rest here, and sail on by? There's no way I'm leaving the Master Sword to pirates. The spirit of the Master Sword chose me and has saved me numerous times...why, without that sword, Ganondorf would have crushed me! /iLink put his arms on his knees and rested his head on them, staring out into the beautiful but very deadly ocean. If he didn't spot the pirate ship soon, he would just have to begin searching the island. Of course, he could probably lure them to the island if he made a fire... Link sat a few minutes, enjoying the cool breeze off the ocean even though it would have felt better to be warm. Unfortunately, as it usually did when Link was sitting still, the thought of Sohran creeped into his head. It couldn't leave him alone!   
  
Flashback i"You like biting, shark?!" Link chomped down on the shark's tender dorsal fin, biting it painfully hard. Link had never heard a shark yell before, but this one let out a beastly screetch. The frightened shark threw Link off, and cringing in stinging pain from the caustic bite, it swam away. A cold wind blew over Link and he shivered. Shark fin tasted nasty. Breathing raggedly, Sohran stopped swimming and turned to Link, who was spitting out the salty, sour taste of shark fin.  
  
"Thank you." He said, swimming over to him. "That was really close." Link finished spitting and spoke.  
  
"You're welcome, but I hope I never have to bite a shark again!" The whole idea of biting a shark was pretty ludicrous, and, ignoring the cold wind that had suddenly sprung up, the both men burst out laughing. "Well, we had better get back to the ship..." Link and Sohran turned to look at their ship. It was sailing away.  
  
"Hey! Where do you think you're going? You can't leave without us!" Shouting callow pleas for the ship to slow down, Link took off swimming after it.   
  
"Wait for us, you stinking ship! Come baaack!" Sohran followed Link, both swimming as fast as their tired bodies would take them. They were gaining on the ship, but the ship was slowly gaining speed.   
  
"Stoooop!" Link yelled, practically flying through the water with Sohran right behind him.  
  
"It's speeding up, Link! We'll never catch it!" Sohran yelled, trying to swim faster.  
  
"It's alright! If we can just get it within range of my hookshot, we'll be fine!" Shoving thier way through the cold, salty water, Link and Sohran got a little closer to the ship. "Hold on to me!" Link said, and Sohran held onto his waist firmly. Link took out the longshot and its chain sprang forth, barely reaching the ship. The hook stuck in the railing, and Sohran clung to Link as the two were yanked to the ship. Sohran climbed over the side, and helped Link up. They bent over for a minute, panting to catch their breath, grinning at eachother. /iEnd  
  
Link missed him greatly. Other than Remorie, Sohran had been his only friend on the entire trip. And a good one, at that. Link could feel that if he wasn't gone, Sohran and Link would be great buddies now. He sighed, hanging his head in sadness. He was really quite tired, and decided to go to sleep and search the island in the morning. Link walked into the jungle a little inland, and quickly found a tree shaped perfectly for sleeping in. Crawling into it, Link fell asleep and dreamed of Hyrule.  
  
The next morning, he was awoken by getting his arm shook by a webbed foot. Link was awake instantly, and was surprised to find Remorie staring up at him.  
  
"Guess what? My clan were closer than I thought. It appears that they were eating fish from the reefs close to this island. It took a lot of doing, but I convinced them to help you. But of course, it would have been much more difficult without the help of a certain someone...I've got a surprise for you!"  
  
"Huh? What are you talking about?" Link asked, jumping down from the tree.   
  
"You'll see!" Remorie ran and Link followed her, until they came to the sea shore, out of the trees. Link thought he was going crazy. He saw Sohran standing on the shore, completely untouched!  
  
"W-what? Are you a ghost?" Link asked, still not believing it.  
  
"Heh heh, no. Good to see you alive, Link." Sohran said, smiling warmly.  
  
"Sohran!!" Link couldn't stop himself from dashing to Sohran and hugging him tightly. Sohran was a little surprised, seeing some of the eight-year-old left in Link. "I thought you were dead..." Link said emotionally. Sohran returned the embrace, patting Link's back  
  
"I wasn't sure if you were alive either, buddy. But I'm sure glad you are." Feeling extremely relieved to see his friend again, Link stepped back and smiled at him.  
  
"So, what happened to you, Sohran?" Link inquired.  
  
"Well, I thought I was going to die after all that wood fell on me and we jumped in the water and were struck by lightening. I was unconscious, and the dragons tell me I sunk down and landed on top of them. A lot of them wanted to eat me, but the one I fell on created a bubble around me and healed me, then they say I was asleep for a day and woke up. When I did I was still underwater with them and they said they hadn't seen you and weren't going back, and I was lucky they didn't eat me. The reason they didn't is that the one I had fallen on had a giant urchin quill stuck into its skin very deeply under a scale, and none of its companions could get it out. I pulled it out, and they said they would drop me off at the next piece of land they saw. Well, after a long time we came to this island and they were eating before they would let me go to the land, then Remorie showed up. Being a dragon of high status, the dragons listened to her and we came here to help you; I was very glad to hear you were alive. Now, thanks to Remorie, we can travel together again and the water dragons will take us home when we're ready. Cool, huh?"  
  
"Excellent!" Link said.  
  
"Hey...where's your boots and sword, Link? And what happened to you between the storm and now?"   
  
"Well, it's kind of complicated..." Link said. Remorie interrupted him.  
  
"Ahem, before you two start chatting all morning, you need to talk to my clan." She turned around and called to the sea dragons just below the waves. Several sleek, reptilian heads emerged. Some were as small as Remorie, most were twice or three times as big, and a few were huge. Two of the dragon-leviathen creatures' heads were as big as wagons. One of the big ones spoke. Most water dragons had voices as quiet as a humans, but this big dragon's voice was deep and loud, like a mointain dragon's.  
  
"bMy name is Eucheso, I am a messenger for the leader of our clan, Lady Miradden./b" The big dragon had brownish-green scales and many fins around his head and down his neck. The fins were black, and his eyes were bight greenish-yellow. His scales, though a dull color, shimmered briliantly in the sunlight. "bWe have agreed to take you Hylians back northeast to your home, Hyrule. When is it that you will need our assistance?/b"  
  
"Come back tomorrow at this same time," Link said. He figured he would have the small island searched by then.  
  
"bVery well./b" The dragon creature said, and all the sea dragons left just like that. The only one left was Remorie.   
  
"Sorry about the abruptness of their departure, but they wanted to go to an island quite a long way from here to eat fish. Because us sea dragons are such fast swimmers, we'll surely be back by tomorrow morning. Good luck, Link and Sohran!" Remorie slither-walked to the water and dissappeared after her clan. Link and Sohran decided to talk to eachother and have a bit of breakfast before searching the island. They picked some fruits from the jungle, and returned to the shore to enjoy their meal and chat. Link told Sohran what had happened to him, and Sohran declared that if he ever met with Captain Jordaan, Jordaan would be sorry he ever layed a hand on Link. Sohran explained that the water dragons, though possesive and a bit predjudice, were really quite nice if you were on thier good side. The one that had saved him was a particularly nice one named Jaconoru. While they were talking, something unexpected happened.  
  
Link's eyes grew wide as suddenly the head of a female popped up from the waves in front of him and Sohran.  
  
"Whaaaa? What's a girl doing in the sea?" Link asked. It was very surprising. The only human-looking girl Link had even seen in the ocean was Kadien the siren, but this girl certainly did not look like a siren. Kadien had had big, freaky yellow eyes. This woman looked normal, and quite pretty. "Um...hello." Link said to the smiling head. The woman began pulling herself out of the water, and Link and Sohran couldn't believe their eyes. She was a mermaid!  
  
"Hello, there." She said with a foxy grin. She had red hair with a touch of brownish-blonde in it, and the long, wet hair hung past her small waist. At her waist, her skin turned to scales, and she had a beautiful, shiny green fish tail with rings of silver all through it. Her chest and shoulders were covered by a shirt-like thing made of green seaweed. Her eyes were a dazzling green, and she had a silver, thin, diamond-encrusted ringlet on her brow. "And who are you young men?"  
  
"I'm Sohran." Sohran said quietly, still amazed that he was seeing a real live mermaid.  
  
"My name is...uh, Link..." Link said, looking at her pretty fin. It was even prettier than Remorie's grey-blue scales, he thought, especially the way it shimmered in the sunlight.  
  
"And where are you from, uh, Link?" She asked with a girlish giggle. "What brings you and Sohran to this island? Are you two pirates?"  
  
"No, we're idefinately/i not pirates. We came here to look for someone." Link didn't know what possesed him to tell so much to this fish-maiden. Perhaps it was the innocent, pretty look on her face that told him she was trustworthy. "Who are you?"  
  
"My name is Cattanya, I am the princess of mermaids and mermen. I just happened to be coming up on this island to pick flowers and saw you men! Are you sure you're not pirates?"  
  
"Yes, very sure. We don't even like pirates!" Link responded enthusiastically. Sohran nodded.  
  
"Good, I like you already, then." The woman pulled herself closer to the Hylains by flopping her fin and dragging herself along with her arms. As she got closer to Link and Sohran more mermaids began emerging from the sea, giggling childishly.  
  
"Is it another two, Cattanya?" A young, white-haired, red and black-finned mermaid asked.  
  
"No, Shehira. These guys aren't pirates. But they're cute." Link blushed. What were these pointy-eared mermaids up to? Sohran shifted uncomfortably. iWierd girls,/i he thought. "So, Link and Sohran, who are you looking for? Maybe we can help you." Cattanya seated herself five feet in front of the Hylians, staring at their faces, and five other mermaids sat behind her, doing the same. All were smiling.  
  
"Eh...two people, actually. We're looking for someone who sent a shadow monster after me a while ago, and also a band of pirates in the iDark Predator/i who stole my stuff." Link said. Cattanya nodded.   
  
"I don't know about the first one, but we can help you with the second. The pirates have anchored just offshore of the other side of this island. They'll stay here for another day and then leave, so if you want to get your stuff back, you two had better hurry. But how, may I ask, are you going to do it? Do you have anything to trade to them?"  
  
"No...we're just going to steal it back, right, Sohran?"  
  
"Absolutely." Sohran agreed. They had talked about it earlier. The mermaids gasped.  
  
"Steal it back? They'll just kill you. Are you guys really brave or really unwise?"  
  
"Maybe something in between," Link said, grinning. This made Cattanya and Sohran laugh.  
  
"Well, girls, I say we help them! After all, we've always been the best at distracting pirates. They even call us the Beauties of the Sea! First, let's introduce ourselves."  
  
"I'm Shehira." The whitish-silver-haired one said. Her shiny red fin had stripes of black on it, and the flat of her fin was particularly big and curled. She had pretty, orange-yellow eyes and looked only about sixteen or seventeen years old, while the rest of the mermaids looked about twenty. "Nice to meet you."  
  
"I'm Reynora," The next one said. She had very long, brown hair that fell past the middle of her long, thin fin. Her fin was dark blue streaked in a few areas with light blue, and she had intelligent-looking tan eyes.  
  
"My name is Jedara," A blonde-haired, purple finned one said. Her violet fin was small and only one color, but flecks of shineyness made it look like it sparkled. She had blue eyes.  
  
"Heronda," The next one said. She had short black hair and had a black fin with gold speckles. Her eyes were an intense dark green, almost black.  
  
"I'm called Fenosa," The last one said quietly. She had a sky blue fin with white swirls on it, and her hair was curly and shiny grey. The grey hair did not make her look old because of its silver tint. She had grey eyes. All of the mermaids had the same seaweed shirts.  
  
"There. Now let's make a plan to go get those pirates!" Cattanya shouted with a grin  
  
. hi there. thx for reading! eet makes meh so heppeh. I'll update real soon if people r&r, so stay tuned in! btw I have pictures of my fanfictions and if u want them just e-mail me. -Talonclawfange 


	3. The Return of the Dark One 7,8

buSection 7  
  
Stealing from Thieves, the Stormbringer/u/b  
  
Link and Sohran followed the mermaids, who were swimming just off shore. They took the Hylians around the perimeter of the island. The island was not very big, and it only took the Hylians and the mermaids about two hours to get to the other side of it. There, they found the iDark Predator/i, anchored inside a gulf of the island like Cattanya had said. The mermaids and Hylians had already agreed on a plan. They would wait until nightfall, until all but one pirate was sleeping. The mermaids would call to this one awake guard, who would not wake his companions because he would want all the fun for himself. They would convince him to lower the ladder and come down, then take him to the other side of the boat and distract him. Link and Sohran would climb the ladder and get Link's stuff back, sabotage the ship, and return to the water. Another thing Link would do is shoot the rudder with an ice arrow again. The last one had melted in a few days and didn't matter because it kept the pirates on course anyway, but this time the ice would prevent them from leaving the gulf for a few days. Plus, the mermaids said they had the magic not to make ice, but to maintain it, and would make sure the ice wouldn't melt for a very long time. The pirates could live off food from the island, and wouldn't be out stealing from people, so it was a good plan.  
  
Link, Sohran and the mermaids waited. The sky was clear and cool as dusk crept nearer, and soon it was nightfall. It would still be a while before the pirates went to bed, though. Link saw that they had come to shore, and mile or so away from where he waited with the mermaids, and were dancing and singing around a bonfire. Sohran was hiding somewhere up ahead, in order to get a better view of the pirates. It seemed like they were feasting on meat and strong drinks while someone played a flute-sounding instrument. They sang a lot of pirate songs, like 'A Pirate's Life for Me' and 'Fifteen Men on a Dead Man's Chest'. After a few hours of partying, the pirates got drowzy and started stumbling rather than dancing, and their singing was terribly off-tune. Soon, they all returned to their ship to turn in. After about half an hour, all was silent and the guard pirate of the ship was outlined against the dark blue sky on deck, the only one awake.  
  
"Link, let's go!" Cattanya whispered from the water. "Link!" There was no reply. She looked over at the bush he had been hiding in and found nothing. "Hmm...Shehira, you're the fastest, go see if he's there." Shehira flopped onto the beach and pulled herself across the sand over to the bush and looked in. She found a snoring Link.  
  
"Hey, wake up!" She said, slapping his cheek.  
  
"What, who?!" Link said, sitting up.  
  
"Time to go, you flake!" Shehira said, giving him an irritated look.  
  
"Eh, sorry. Let's go, then." Link found Sohran and the two slipped into the water with the mermaids, swimming off at an angle so the guard pirate wouldn't see them. The mermaids swam right up to the side of the ship and started calling to the pirate.  
  
"Down here, handsome!"  
  
"We want to meet you, strong man!"  
  
"You're a lot better-looking than your shipmates..." The half-drunk man leaned over the side, grinning at the beautiful mermaids.   
  
"Guuuh...Stay right there, you pretty things! Just let me get this rope ladder down..." Hiccuping, he threw a rope ladder over the side and it rolled down, its end landing in the water. The man begun to climb down but because he was intoxicated he let go halfway, falling into the water. The mermaids pulled him around to the back of the ship and started showering him with compliments and kisses. Link and Sohran swam silently around and climbed the ladder, and looked around the deck. The coast was clear. Link found the hatch that led belowdecks and quietly opened it, stepping down onto the stairs. Sohran followed, Hylian sword drawn. When they reached the bottom they turned right, and found two branching ways. Link knew that one led to the crew's quarters and the other a storage room that held his gear. He had no idea which one to choose. Cautiously, he opened the one on the right. It creaked as it opened, and Link poked his head in. He saw several men sleeping fitfully on hammocks. He backed away from the door, not wanting to close it because he knew it would creak again. So, he left it open and he and Sohran went in the left door. It was the storage room, and Link spotted all his stuff lying on top of a box. He quickly re-equipped it all on the spot, so he wouldn't have to carry it in his hands. Without a sound, the Hylians left the storage room and returned to the topside of the deck. Now time for the fun part, sabotage. Link took out his dagger and began cutting some ropes and pieces of sail he could reach. Sohran helped with his sword, grinning at Link. If pirates were as bad at sewing as they were at singing, it would take them a long time to repair the sails. As Link turned around to cut another sail he froze, seeing a bird. Captain Jordaan's bird.  
  
"AAAAAWWWWK! INTRUDER, INTRUDERRRS!!!!! IT'S THE CABIN BOY AND HIS FRIEND, INTRUDERRRS!" The cry must have woken half the ship. Link and Sohran dived overboard, not having enough time to grab a boat. Link quickly shot an ice arrow at the rudder of the ship as he swam towards the shore after Sohran. They couldn't be caught by the pirates! The pirates, though not the best fighters, would surely gang up fourty to two, and Link didn't like those odds. They would prabably be captured. If that happened, they would drown Link again and make sure he stayed that way. There was no telling what they would do with Sohran, probably sell him as a slave. Halfway to shore, Link realized that even if he and Sohran outran the pirates, which would be only too easy, the persistant, angry men would probably search the whole small island for them. How could Link make sure that didn't happen? Maybe by wounding the Captain again...Link and Sohran reached the shore, and two boats were right on their tail. One held Koske the slanty-eyed pirate, and Captain Jordaan without his bird, the other two pirates in the second boat Link didn't know. All of them looked drunk but Koske.  
  
"Sohran. I think we'de better show these four our power so they won't follow us. It will be easy enough to beat these guys, and if this plan works, it will prevent all of them from ganging up on us," Link said, looking over at the other Hylian.  
  
"Yeah, that sounds like a good plan. Let's get them!" Link and Sohran turned to meet the pirates as they got to shore, jumping out of their boats. Jordaan and the slany-eyes foreign-speaking pirate came for Link, the other two went for Sohran.  
  
"This time you won't escape death, boy! Koske, kill him!" Jordaan ordered.  
  
"Hai, Jordaantuno!"   
  
"And stop with that rubbish, ye yellow sea dog!" Jordaan said, nearly falling over.  
  
"Hai! I mean, Aye-aye, Captain Jordaan!" Koske rushed forward, slashing at Link with an odd, long, slightly curved and very sharp sword. The handguard was small and oval-shaped, and the hilt was the same width as the blade. Link hadn't ever seen a sword like it. Link brought up the Master Sword, which was more that strong enough to hold off Koske's sword.   
  
"Shinay! I mean, Diiieee!" Koske forced his sword against Link's in an effort to throw him off balance. Koske then quickly brought down his sword, aiming to cut Link's middle. Link was quicker, parrying the blade and giving Kanoske a rather large slash in his shoulder. "Nani....ksssuh!" The pirate slumped to the ground, holding his profusely bleeding shoulder. Link looked up, expecting Jordaan to rush at him, but to his surprise, Jordaan was not in front of him. He was behind him. Laughing crazily, Jordaan brought the hilt of his sword down on the back of Link's head. Nearly losing consciousness, Link was thrown to the ground. Jordaan dragged him toward the water.  
  
Sohran finally managed to get behind the defenses of the dim-witted but fast pirate he was fighting, and cut his legs, rendering him unable to stand. He then casted a quick freezing spell on the last one, scaring out of his meager wits and securing his feet to the ground with ice. He looked around for Link, but all he saw was Jordaan, holding something underwater.  
  
"Link!" Sohran dashed over to Jordaan, yelling. Jordaan was too stupid and drunk to notice, and Sohran slashed the side of his back. Screaming, Jordaan backed up and Link came up, coughing. Swaying a bit, Jordaan turned his rage on Sohran. Catching the warrior off-guard, he brought the flat of his blade against Sohran's head, stunning him. He then grabbed Sohran's neck and forced him to lean over, exposing the back of his neck as the Captain raised his blade. Still coughing a bit, Link slashed quickly at Jordaan's sword arm. Link was very angry at the pirate trying to kill Sohran, and put a deep slash in Jordaan's arm. Jordaan still brought his blade down, but missed Sohran's neck. The drunken pirate had cut off his own hand.  
  
"Aaaaahhh!" Jordaan's hand instantly let go of Sohran as the Captain screamed. He stumbled backwards and landed on his rump on the sandy shore. Link and Sohran rushed past him, into the jungle. Koske got to his feet, meaning to follow them.  
  
"Jordaantuno, I mean, Captain Jordaan, I'll kill them personally for what they did to you!"  
  
"No, don't follow them."  
  
"Nani?"  
  
"They will only kill you. You know...I do think that boy was the Hero of Time! I always wanted a hook for a hand, anyway," Jordaan said, laughing crazily and swaying dizzily.  
  
While dashing through the jungle, the Hylians were ambushed. Not by pirates, but by shadow assasins. One shadow monster sprung out behind Link, blocking off Sohran. Ahead, one creature slammed into Link, bringing them both to the ground. Two more emerged from the trees, ready to kill Link while the first one held him down. Link wouldn't allow that, of course. Link got to his feet, throwing the one on his back off. He turned around and picked that one up, and threw it at another one. Sohran was busy battling his shadow beast, and had cut its chest. Unfortunately his sword was not as effective on the beast as the Master Sword, and it would take much more than that to defeat the monster. Link drew his sword as his third monster advanced on him, dagger drawn. Now that Link was on his feet with his sword, the shadows were not much of a threat. Link slashed the one in front of him clear in half, making it dissappear. The other two had gotten up and sprang at Link. Link, unimpressed and unintimidated, slashed them both in half as well. They disintegrated, and Link turned to Sohran just as the warrior cut off his monster's head.   
  
"Nice one," Link said.  
  
"Thanks," Sohran replied.  
  
"I think these shadow monsters mean we're close to finding the person or thing that sent the first one! We should continue in a straight line." Sohran nodded and the two were off running again. They were close to their goal.  
  
Unfortunately, there were more shadow things. Seven more shadow things. Seven more shadow things that jumped on Link, pinning him to the ground. Link could easily have gotten up with one or two on his back, but now there was five, because two had gotten off to go fight Sohran. One more got off and came around to Link's face, his dagger gleaming in the moonlight that slipped between the trees. Link struggled and one monster on top of him grabbed his hair, pulling it back and exposing his neck. The shadow in front of him knelt, putting its dagger on Link's neck.   
  
"From an old nemesis...goodbye, Link!" The faceless shadow growled. Link bit its hand. Hissing, the thing pulled its hand away and dropped the dagger. Link picked it up in his mouth and stabbed the hand of the monster on his back. Yowling, it jumped off, taking the other three monsters with it. Link jumped up and drew his sword.  
  
"Sohran, get down!" Sohran, battling two shadows, dropped to the ground. Link performed the spin attack.  
  
"Kai-ten-giri!" Link yelled as red magic sliced his enemies to shreds. The Kai-ten-giri was an improved spin attack he had been working on, and it was obviously very effective against evil monsters. It was also effective against other things, though. And Link chopped down about four trees along with the shadow beasts. "Ack....whoops, sorry, jungle!" Link said, as if the jungle could hear. Sohran shook his head and laughed, getting to his feet.  
  
"You're really powerful. Well, let's go." Sohran said.  
  
"Thanks," Link said, and the two started walking, on the lookout for any more shadow assasins that might try to surprise them. None did, and as Link and Sohran got deeper into the jungle, things got quieter. Bird calls and the chirping of insects faded into silence. It reminded Link eerily of the deep parts of Ethereal Forest, a very dangerous but beautiful forest in North Hyrule.   
  
Link could feel that he and Sohran were walking straight towards danger, but it didn't bother him. What did bother him was the fact that Sohran might get hurt, but knew it would be insulting to him if he asked him to stay behind. He just kept going, for nearly half an hour, while everything around him but his own booted feet and Sohran's was silent. He wasn't even thinking of pirates anymore, knowing he had left them far behind. Abruptly, Link and his companion came out of the trees and into a clearing. They gasped. In the middle of the large clearing was a big rock, and standing in front of that rock was a calwot. It was Feelock.  
  
"F-Feelock?! What are you doing here..." Link asked, bewildered. Sohran had never even seen Feelock before, and was so surprised he didn't speak.  
  
"Silence, Hylian." Feelock said. But it wasn't Feelock that said it, at least it seemed that way. Link could see the tall, armor-clad, black cat clearly in the moonlight, and his mouth had not moved. Also, the voice was not his. It did sound familiar, though... Link might have recognized it if it wasn't distorted by a strange echo effect. "I am surprised you got past my shadow assasins, Hero of Time, but then again, I suppose I expected no less from you. You recognize me, don't you? I am Feelock, King of the Calwots!" The strange voice was still speaking, and Feelock's lips were still not moving. There was a blank, stricken look on the calwot's face as he remained still. The bright, yellow-golden eyes looked almost trapped, somehow...  
  
"But I thought you turned good, Feelock! What are you doing?" Link realized that Feelock, being a calwot, did not have the power to make shadow monsters. Something very strange was going on. Suddenly, without explanation, lightening struck the rock behind Feelock, making it crawl with electricity. The tendrils of light remained on the rock after the bolt had dissappeared, but did not do damage to the rock. Link and Sohran looked at the skies. There was not a single cloud.  
  
"Yes, Hylian, I am the one who caused the great storms with my immense calwot power. I am also impressed that you lived through those, but neither you nor your friend will live through this encounter. You are far away from home, and no one will help you here. You don't even have a fairy partner anymore. You will be defeated." iFairy partner? How does Feelock know about Navi...?/i Link was quite confused. The only thing he was sure of was that this was not completely Feelock, and that whatever was going on, this cat meant to kill him. "You have been rocked consistantly by blue to the southwest for more than seven days, and you have met this green piece of land and found me...you fell for my trap, Link." Still expressionless, the black-winged calwot raised his paw and casted a quick containment spell. A half-transparent box formed around Sohran. "As soon as I'm done with you, your friend will be killed. Now, die!" Feelock's face hadn't changed or moved, but the cat charged at Link. Link drew his sword and rolled to the side, not wanting to encounter Feelock's super-sharp armored claws. The cat flew past him and landed next to a tree, flexing those razor-like claws. Link looked at Feelock's left wrist, remembering that during their last battle it had been nearly burnt off. Sure enough, a metal hand had replaced the old one. Its claws were just as sharp as ever.  
  
"Lethal Internal Blender!" This attack was one that blends the insides of anyone unlucky enough to get caught by it. Fortunately Link had been practicing defense against magic with Zelda, Chain and Impa, and brought out his shield, casting a spell on it. The Internal Blender's magic glanced off the shield harmlessly. "You've grown stronger..." The strange voice said. Link thought he detected a hint of fear in that voice. "But I am the Dark One, I will defeat you." Feelock, staing at Link blankly, rushed forward and caught the shield. He then hurled the shield, and Link with it, into the electrified rock. A few hundred volts tore through Link as he slammed into it.  
  
"Eauugghh!" After getting zapped for a few seconds Link fell to the ground. His body felt stiff and burnt, but he managed to get up shakily. "Oweeee..." The strage voice laughed and Feelock flew high into the air. Forming a volleyball-sized fireball in his paw, he threw it at Link. Link pulled out the mirror shield and deflected the blast, but Feelock dodged it. Link brought up his sword as Feelock dived at him. The magical cat blew smoke in Link's face, and Link couldn't see as the calwot ripped five lacerations in his right shoulder. It was extremely painful because of the razor claws and Link yelled in pain, but was grateful the cat hadn't slashed open the shoulder of his sword arm (Link is left-handed if you didn't notice from the game). The smoke cleared and Feelock came around for another pass, this time breathing ice like a water dragon. It was not a good idea. Link simply deflected the ice, which covered the cat's head and caused him to crash right into the electric stone. An explosion resulted, and Link was thrown twenty feet through the air, landing roughly and skidding on the grassy ground. He wasn't hurt, but Feelock was.  
  
"What a useless, pathetic calwot. Well, I can try one more thing," The voice said.  
  
"Hey, you're controlling Feelock, aren't you, 'Dark One'? Let him go or you'll be sorry, mark my words! He's not a powerful puppet for you to manipulate!" Link really hated when creatures were forecd to do things against their will. He was enraged. "You hear me?! Let him go!!"  
  
"Hm.... So you found out my little secret, eh? Well, it's only sensible that you would be nearly as smart as me. I won't let him go, and you cannot make me." Link didn't know what to do now. How could he attack Feelock when he was innocent? The voice of the 'Dark One', whoever that was, was right. Feelock barely had the strenght to get up and probably didn't want to, but was forced to anyway. In one last show of amazing speed, and cat dashed over to Link. Link brought up his Hylian shield (he had put the mirror one away), but it wasn't even up all the way before the cat reached him. Slicing through the side of the metal shield easily, the wounded cat managed to chant and scratch Link once before the warrior jumped back. At first the small scratch didn't hurt any more than his other scratches, but then Link felt a warm, painful feeling spreadng through his body from it. It made him feel numb and stiff.  
  
iI'm being paralyzed! /iLink suddenly realized, dropping to his knees for lack of feeling in his legs. Soon he simply fell over, growling in irritation, temporarily unable to move anything below his head. Feelock was bleeding from a cuncussion to his head when it had been frozen and smashed into the rock, but the puppet cat walked slowly over to Link. "Feelock...listen to me, you're being controlled! I know you were unstable the last time we met, but I think you have the mental power to break out of it if you just try!" Link said, trying to look up at the approaching cat's face, which was half covered with blood.  
  
"He can't hear you, Link. He is completely under my control. I have gained powers beyond what you can imagine since the last time we fought..." iThe last time we fought? Whoever the Dark One is, he's someone I've met before.../i  
  
"Feelock, stop! You ican/i break out of his control! Just try it!" Link pleaded.  
  
"He won't stop, he doesn't even know where he is, fool." Feelock's eyes suggested differently. He looked sad and scared of what was happening. He didn't look like he was trying to break free, though. He leaned down, putting a paw on the paralyzed warrior's neck.  
  
"Please try..." Link said as the paw squeezed. Link could do nothing, not even try to pull the paw off. Feelock still looked very sad. Then, he looked mad. He looked angry and determined as if trying to take the strangling Link's advice.  
  
"No! Stop that..." The voice cried. "You can't break my control, don't even try it." But Feelock iwas/i trying it, and there was nothing the voice could do about it. Feelock did not want to hurt Link, and desparately tried to shove the dark prescence out of his mind. "Halt. This is not happening...You'll hurt yourself if you get rid of me!" Feelock didn't care. Link would pass out if he didn't get his paw off quick, and he would do anything to do it. Link, choking violently from the tight grip, looked up at Feelock. The cat was trying to break free and suceeding! Link rejoiced silently as his vision darkened. Feelock growled ferociously, seeing Link's peril. "Don't, Feelock...!" The Dark One protested one last time, but it was too late for him. With a mighty mental shove, Feelock was rid of his captor. "You will never defeat me, Link. I will be waiting for you back in Hyrule." The voice muttered, fading away. Unfortunately, the voice was right about Feelock hurting himself. As the calwot tore his paw off Link, a mental shock resulting from the separation caused him to gasp and fall unconscious instantly and painfully. The box around Sohran dissappeared. He quickly ran over to Link, who was beneath the KOed Feelock.  
  
"Link, are you okay?" He lifted Feelock off the heavily breathing Hylian.  
  
"Yes, I'm fine...but it will be a few minutes before I can move again. Would you mind using my Arlia to heal Feelock's head? It's in my belt." Sohran took it out.  
  
"What about you? You're hurt too, if you didn't notice!"  
  
"Heal him first. He took a nasty blow to his head, just behind his left ear." Nodding, Sohran rubbed the Arlia bud on the spot. As soon as it looked normal again, he healed Link's numerous scratches and bruises. By the time he was done, Link could move again and sat up, thanking him.  
  
"You're welcome. Now, what are we going to do with poor Feelock?" Sohran asked, looking at the still calwot.  
  
"I have a feeling he won't wake up for a while. Let's take him to the shore and maybe the water dragons will be nice enough to carry him back to Hyrule with us."  
  
"Okay. Here, I'll grab this end..." Link and Sohran pidked up Feelock, and using their general sense of direction, began walking the way they thought would take them back to shore. Link then remembered he had a compass, and checked it. They were going in the right direction, and walked through the dark trees. It had to be around three to five o'clock in the morning now, and a thin fog clung to the trees, covering everything with moisture and silence. Link and Sohran had been walking in the silence for nearly an hour when they heard a weird noise. It was a sort of howl, almost sounding like a mournful voice. It was coming from the right, though the trees, and sounded several times, making Link and Sohran stop to listen.  
  
"Hmmm...that's a wierd sound. It's almost like a wolf's howl and someone crying at once." Link said.  
  
"If we stop we might not get to the shore quick enough, and who knows if those dragons will wait for us. Their nice sometimes, but hate wasting time..."   
  
"Okay, you keep heading towards the shore and I'll catch up with you. I'll find out what's making that noise."  
  
"Curiosity killed the cat, but if you insist, I'll keep going." Sohran shifted all Feelock's weight onto his strong shoulders, and Link crept through the trees to where the sound was coming from. Being a die-hard warrior, he drew his sword even though he didn't know if the noise-maker was a threat at all. After a few moments Link came to a large clearing. Even through the mist, Link could tell this clearing was at least half as big as the Deku Tree's grove had been. Little flying light illuminated the misty grove, giving it a mystical look. Fittingly, there was a huge tree in the middle. The willowy-looking tree was as big as the Soku Tree had been, and it seemed to be crying. Link put his sowrd away and rushed in front of the tree, looking up at the distressed creature's face. It was a female.  
  
ubSection 8  
  
The Great Cosu Tree, Farewells/b/u  
  
"Ooohhh...I do not know if I shall ever hear from my brother again! I don't even know if he's alive anymore I haven't heard from him in so long! Oh, my poor brother...my poor Soku Tree!"  
  
"Please calm down, miss! Don't worry, your brother is alive! I've seen him myself." The tree's pretty face stopped crying, looking down at the small Hylian before her. "Why...who art thou, little one? Thou lookest like a grown Kokiri, but that is impossible!"  
  
"Well, I'm actually a Hylain, but the great Deku Tree raised me as a Kokiri. My name is Link, mam." He said, bowing to the great tree.  
  
"What a kind little Hylian...I am called the Cosu Tree." She said, cheering up.  
  
"The Cosu Tree? Hey, I have something of yours." Link had all but fogotten the leaf given to him by the Soku Tree. "It seems like so long ago, but about a week and a half ago, your brother, the Soku Tree, gave this to me and said it was yours. Here you go." Link got out the small, beetle-sized shiny leaf with wierd gold writing on it the other tree had given him. A willowy branch came down to recieve the leaf, and held the small thing up to her eyes.   
  
"Oh, this is definately my brother's writing! It is so good to hear from him! Thank thee, Link!"  
  
"No problem. I love to help great trees...they remind me of the Deku Tree..." Link said, sadly remembering his huge parent/friend. There iwas/i the small Deku Tree, but he just wasn't the same.  
  
"Such a nice boy...I have a feeling thou wilt have need of great power in the future, and thy future will effect everyone's future. Thou art a hero, are thee not?"  
  
"Well...kind of, I guess..."  
  
"Do not be so modest, Link. I can sense it - thou art the Hero of Time!" Link nodded and the tree grinned. "I have something for thee - it will increase thy power. Recieve the Platinum Gauntlets!" Link's Golden Gauntlets suddenly lost their gold - it was replaced by some extremely shiny, bright metal. The diamond-shaped rubies that had been on the Golden Gauntlets were replaced by round jewels with swirling green centers. "Now that these gauntlets have touched thy hands, Link, they have attached themselves to thee permanently. The gauntlets themselves can be removed, but the strength they give thee is now yours to call upon forever. They work exactly the same as thy Golden ones worked, but the ability to call upon their strength will not dissappear if the gloves are taken off thy hands, and they are more powerful!"  
  
"Wow, thanks, great Cosu Tree! I'm sure they'll be very helpful," Link said.  
  
"Thou art welcome. Thou must be on thy way before thy friend gets too much ahead of thee," She said, somehow knowing about Sohran. "Tell my brother that I miss him greatly, and thank him for sending thee with my leaf. Fare thee well!"  
  
"You too, good-bye!" Waving to the tree, Link ran after Sohran. He caught up with Sohran and told him what had happened while the two of them continued to carry Feelock to the sea. In about another hour the sky began to lighten and the mist to clear, and Link and Sohran found themselves free of the jungle. The water dragons and Remorie had not arrived yet, so they put Feelock down. Link checked his condition and found him to be okay, and he and Sohran sat and looked at the sea. Cattanya popped out of it.  
  
"You didn't think you were going to leave without a goodbye, did you?" She asked irritably.  
  
"Eh, no! Thanks for all your help, Cattanya...and you other mermaids," Link said, seeing the rest of them come out of the sea as well.  
  
"Yeah, it was nice meeting you all," Said Sohran. The mermaids grinned and came up on shore, sitting in front of Link and Sohran.   
  
"So, do you have anything for us in return? We do deserve something." Cattanya said.  
  
"Eh....um...what do you want, exactly?" Sohran asked. He really didn't have anything he thought mermaids would like, except maybe rupees, and neither did Link.  
  
"Oh, nothing..." She said, pulling herself closer to Sohran.  
  
"Um...it looks like she wants my personal space!" Sohran whispered to Link. Link laughed, until he noticed a few mermaids getting closer to him too.  
  
"I just want to kiss a decent man who's not a pirate!" Cattanya declared.  
  
"Aaahhh! No, you crazy girl!" Sohran protested as she kissed him on the cheek. He turned bright red. Link made a beeline for the jungle.  
  
"Hey, come back here!" Shehira, being the fastest on land because of her large tail, pulled herself after Link. Link tripped on a palm tree root sticking out of the ground, and Shehira caught up, kissing his cheek. "There, that wasn't so bad, was it? Getting kissed by a pretty girl is nothing to run from. Besides, you owe us so don't be rude."  
  
"He didn't mean to be rude, Shehira. We appreciate your help." Sohran said.  
  
"Speak for yourself," Link said, his face also red. Sohran laughed at him. "Oh, you be quiet, Sohran. You have a girlfriend, remember?"  
  
"Oh, crap! Don't tell her about this, Link!" It was Link's turn to laugh.  
  
Link spotted the sea dragons swimming toward the shore. Half an hour ago he and Sohran had bid farewell to the mermaids, after turning down their requests to kiss the Hylians more. The mermaids reluctantly left, but hoped to meet Link and Sohran again. Link and Sohran had then waited for the dragons, and here they were.  
  
"Hello! Ready to go, guys?" Remorie asked, her repltilian head poking above the water.  
  
"Hey, Remorie. Can we take Feelock with us, too? He's this calwot here." Link said, pointing to the unconscious cat.  
  
"Sure. Yavatan and Eucheso have plenty of room on their huge heads. Here they are now..." The large messenger dragon-leviathan Eucheso and a dark purplish-blue dragon-leviathan who was just as big raised their wagon-sized heads above the water. "Yavatan, you wouldn't mind having an extra passenger on your head, would you?" The purplish blue dragon made a sour face.  
  
"bIs it another Hylian? If I have two on my head and I get hungry.../b"  
  
"Yavatan, don't be so rude! Besides, it's a cat thing, not another Hylian." The blue-purple dragon sighed.  
  
"bVery well. Just keep in mind - I'll never be a beast of burden for a human again!/b" Yavatan growled.  
  
"bHuman called Sohran, you will be riding on me. Get on./b" Eucheso said, and Sohran obeyed. He took a seat on the great dragon's head, grabbing a vertical fin for stability. At Yavatan's request, Link pulled Feelock and himself on Yavatan's head, and the water dragons were ready to go. Remorie announced that she would not be coming because she was a much slower swimmer than the two giant dragons.   
  
"Well, see you sometime, Remorie. Thank you so much for all your help. Let me and Hyrule know if there's anything we can do for you, okay?" Link said, smiling at the dragon. Remorie nodded.  
  
"Bye, Remorie. Say thanks and goodbye to Jaconoru for me, please." Sohran said. Remorie nodded again.  
  
"Have a safe journey, you two. Yavatan and Eucheso - you'd better not eat them!" Remorie cautioned.  
  
"bDon't worry, we can't eat humans under the Queen Mirraden, and Jaconoru's protection anyway. See you later, Remorie,/b" Eucheso said, waving. With that, they were off. The two water dragons were faster than Link had expected. Much faster. Practically flying through the water and creating huge waves on either side, the dragons had to be going between a hundred and two hundred miles per hour! Holding on for dear life, Link and Sohran knew they would arrive at the cliffs of Ganon's Swamp very soon.  
  
hello, this concludes the first part of the Return of the Dark One. I'll begin posting the chapters of the second part of it as soon as this chapter gets reviewed, like usual. As always, e-mail if you want pics I drew of my stories. And btw go read StoryWeaver1's story right now!! j/k but it is cool, if you didn't read it by now I think it's worth your time (of course this is assuming anybody reading this isn't storyweaver himself because he and Inversion seem to be the only ones reviewing all my stories .). Want a preview of the next story? Well I'll tell ya that when Link gets back his welcome isn't exactly fit for a hero. Something bad happened while he was gone. See ya next time -Talonclawfange 


End file.
